Todd McLellan raises eyebrows with latest comments on Detroit Red Wings goaltending situation
Photo credit: NHL.com
Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan made an eyebrow-raising comment at the start of training camp when it came to goaltenders John Gibson and Cam Talbot; the question was, "Who is the starter?"
The Detroit Red Wings acquired goaltender John Gibson this offseason to give them a shot at a playoff run this year.
McLellan, who is a competitor at heart, has decided that despite Steve Yzerman's acquisition of the former Ducks starter, he'll have to earn the job in competition with Cam Talbot.
That leaves us puzzled after the team traded away Petr Mrazek, who was assumed to be the next "upgrade" at the position.
'I don't know who our starter is' as training camp has opened up.
«I don't know who our starter is,» McLellan said. «Obviously, Gibson is really important. But teams are proving year after year now that you need two guys to get the job done. It's hard to stay at the top of your game over and over and over again if you're just a single entity. We've got Talbs, we've got Gibby, we plan on playing them both and we expect a lot from both of them.»
«I don't know who our starter is,» McLellan said. «Obviously, Gibson is really important. But teams are proving year after year now that you need two guys to get the job done. It's hard to stay at the top of your game over and over and over again if you're just a single entity. We've got Talbs, we've got Gibby, we plan on playing them both and we expect a lot from both of them.»
Given the capital spent to acquire him and his status as the Ducks' former starting goalie, you'd think he'd have the job locked down in Detroit.
Keep in mind that Gibson isn't cheap, and his current cap hit is $6.4 million.
John Gibson's Acquisition by the Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings acquired John Gibson as an upgrade in the net.
The idea was to give the Red Wings improved options in the net while players like Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine continue to develop.
Steve Yzerman traded goaltender Petr Mrazek, a second-round pick in 2027, and a fourth-round pick in 2026 to make the deal happen.
Gibson is an immediate upgrade to the depth in the net, which we've seen in the past season, which included Alex Lyon, Cam Talbot, and Petr Mrazek.
His record last season in Anaheim, behind a bad Ducks team, was 11-11-2, 2.71 GAA, and a .912 save percentage.
The veteran goaltender was made redundant by young goalie Lukas Dostal, who had a breakout year in 2024-25.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 20 | 594 ANSWERS Todd McLellan raises eyebrows with latest comments on Detroit Red Wings goaltending situation Will goaltender John Gibson be the Detroit Red Wings' starter after training camp? | ||
| Yes | 500 | 84.2 % |
| No | 94 | 15.8 % |
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