A completed trade between the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks just deemed one team clear losers
Photo credit: NHL.com
A completed trade between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings before free agency opened on July 1st is now leading to Steve Yzerman receiving backlash from TSN hockey reporters.
The Detroit Red Wings solidified their crease ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season in a surprise blockbuster trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 28th, which saw goaltender John Gibson heading to Motor City in exchange for Petr Mrazek, a 2nd round pick in 2027, and a 4th round pick in 2026.
A true steal by Steve Yzerman, or so we thought.
According to TSN, the Detroit Red Wings are rock bottom in goaltending rankings ahead of the upcoming NHL season.
Detroit Red Wings ranked in bottom tier of TSN's goaltending ranking
Out of all 32 teams in the league, the Detroit Red Wings join the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, and Utah Mammoth in the second-lowest tier.
The only other rosters deemed to have a worse goaltending scenario than Detroit are the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
TSN's Travis Yost wrote the following in his Summer Talent Tiers Goaltending column::
«It's desperation time for the Red Wings organization and Steve Yzerman decided to take a big swing on the talented but inconsistent John Gibson via trade this summer. Gibson's inconsistency, a combination of roller-coaster play and injuries, chilled what was once a pricy trade market for one of the league's big names. Gibson did look better last season after several discouraging years, but again, his 91.2 per cent stop rate came in just 29 games. Detroit will be looking for substantially more playing time.»
Yost must be a Maple Leafs fan with this sour take, as this completed trade led to Steve Yzerman receiving plenty of praise for it, which we back up.
Gibson has been on a dreadful bottom-three Anaheim Ducks team for the past several seasons and will certainly put the Detroit Red Wings in a better goaltending scenario than the majority of teams throughout the NHL.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
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