The Oilers are in desperate need of a goaltender this season, and despite John Gibson being available in trade, NHL insiders are reporting Edmonton is not interested.
Reports surfaced earlier this season that John Gibson would be willing to waive his no-move clause for a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup with the Oilers, but still, Edmonton doesn't want him.
NHL insider reveals price to acquire Ducks goalie John Gibson
According to a recent report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the Anaheim Ducks are asking for a first-round draft pick to trade John Gibson at 50% retained salary.
"I think Anaheim believes that if it's retaining salary on Gibson for the remainder of his contract - plus the fact that the 31-year-old goalie has played well this year (14.7 goals saved above expected) - they should be able to get a first-round pick. That opinion is not shared, clearly, by the Canes."
As LeBrun mentioned, Gibson is having a resurgent season at 31 years old. In 25 games this season Gibson has an impressive .911 save percentage, his first season above .900 since the 2021-22 year.
A key piece of the deal is that Anaheim would retain 50% of Gibson's contract for only a first. Gibson is signed at $6.4M for this season and next, meaning a team could add the veteran starter for just $3.2M.
Although this deal could be fully affordable to the Oilers, both by clearing cap space and trading next year's first-round pick, LeBrun mentions that Edmonton is not interested in Gibson at all — and doesn't see him as an upgrade over Skinner.
"The Edmonton Oilers, despite Stuart Skinner's struggles, don't appear to see Gibson as a true upgrade and aren't keen on his contract, which has two remaining years after this one at a $6.4 million average annual value. I don't think the Oilers see a realistic upgrade on the market at the moment."
Oilers will be making a mistake passing up on John Gibson trade
The Oilers not seeing Gibson as an upgrade over Skinner is absurd — Gibson ranks near the top five in most goaltending categories while Skinner is below league average by save percentage alone. There's a litany of stats that suggest the Oilers goaltending is a full-blown crisis.
