NEWARK, N.J. — If John Gibson wants out of Anaheim, should the New Jersey Devils be interested?
That's a big if, and has been argued in public spaces as of late.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff recently said on the Nasty Knuckles podcast that Gibson has asked for a trade and told the organization he wasn't playing another game for the Ducks.
Then, Kurt Overhardt from KO Sports Inc. said the report made by Seravalli was “false, unjust and inflammatory.”
“My client has never stated to any member of the Anaheim Ducks front office any such statement,” Overhardt said in his statement. “John Gibson is honored to be a member of the Anaheim Ducks and is a committed supporter of its fanbase, as well as the Ducks’ community.”
Trey Matthews of Locked on Devils likes Gibson's game, despite his near .900 save percentage over the past several seasons. He gets little to no help from the Ducks' defense, and could do well on a stronger Devils team.
Ultimately, Matthews isn't down with the idea of trading for Gibson, especially if they're going to be flipping Vitek Vanecek.
"I don't think he's the goalie to take the Devils to the next level," he said. "The reality is the Devils believe in Vanecek, and they don't need to go all out for a goalie."
Matthews believes the priority should be finding a cheaper backup goalie so they can allow Akira Schmid to marinate a bit more in the minors.
Gibson, who'll turn 30 next week, has four years remaining on a contract that carries a $6.4 million cap hit and has a modified no-trade clause.
It wouldn't be surprising if Gibson wanted a change of scenery. He's getting on in his career, and the Ducks are getting better but far from Stanley Cup contention.
Just don't count on him landing in New Jersey.