The 2025 trade deadline is approaching quickly and the list of players available from the sellers continues to come into focus. For the Flyers, there are a few interesting names out there, but one that has emerged is Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson.
Gibson, 31, has played 498 career games. This season, he’s rocking a 2.76 goals against average and .914 save percentage through 21 games. He’s got two more years left on his contract at a $6.4 million cap hit.
So should the Flyers be interested in acquiring the veteran goalie from the Ducks at the trade deadline? Let’s weigh some pros and cons!
Pros
His numbers are solid in Anaheim
The Ducks have been one of the most abysmal teams in the league for quite some time now, but Gibson’s numbers have always been respectable given the circumstances. The Flyers may not be world-beaters at the moment, but the defensive structure Brad Shaw and John Tortorella bring to the table should be a stronger base than Gibson has had in quite some time. If he’s good in Anaheim, he may be great in Philly.
He’s a starter
One thing the Flyers need right now is a little stability in net. Historically, Gibson is good for 50-60 appearances a year. That would go a long way to settle things down, and it would mean that Sam Ersson can be used in a more sparing backup role where he’s thrived in the past.
The Flyers need a goalie
This may be the “yeah no shit” entry of the list, but it’s actually a pretty notable thing that the Flyers would consider actually fixing a position of need. Their trio of Ersson, Fedotov and Kolosov have the collective lowest team save percentage in the league (Ersson and Fedotov also earned that title last season as well) and are all signed next season with no signs of any of them rising above the crowd as the 2024-25 season progresses, running it back next season probably won’t breed different results without injecting some changes.
Cons
The timeline
Gibson is about to turn 32 this summer and he’s got two years left on his contract. Even though goalies tend to age better than skaters, he’s got a decade of experience and nearly 500 games to his résumé. With the Flyers stuck in no man’s land between competing and rebuilding, does Gibson provide a long enough stint of solid hockey to turn things around, or is this just a high-quality, expensive stopgap until they figure something else out long term?
The cost
Gibson is far and away the top goaltender available ahead of the trade deadline which could drive his price tag sky high. For teams like Edmonton or Toronto, where adding a goalie could be the make-or-break difference in winning a Stanley Cup, their desperation could be difference in their willingness to spend despite the Flyers having more assets at their disposal to craft a deal.
They’d probably have to trade Kolosov
Piggybacking off the Flyers’ competitive timeline is what they’d have to give up to get Gibson. If they ditch 23-year-old Aleksei Kolosov in a trade, then they get a couple years of Gibson where they’re still a bubble team, versus a potential decade of Kolosov as true contenders. Kolosov’s ceiling is anything but a guarantee at the moment, but considering Flyers fans are still talking about the Sergei Bobrovsky trade well over a decade later, maybe taking that risk again just isn’t worth it.
Conclusion
When Keith Jones started his media crusade about “bringing Flyers hockey back” I’m not sure he meant the historic struggle to properly address the goalie position, but that is once again where this team is at.
Gibson is certainly an intriguing option, and quite frankly seemingly the only worthwhile option available at the 2025 trade deadline in goal. The 2025 free agent pool is lacking when it comes to the position and signing a random backup who may be just marginally better than any internal option the Flyers are working with doesn’t really move the needle. If they want an upgrade Gibson may just have to be their guy.
It is worth noting that Gibson has a 10-team no trade list. One would assume if he was getting dealt out of Anaheim that he’d like to go to a contender. It’s more than possible he’d shut down a trade to Philadelphia, but since the list isn’t public we just don’t know.
Having a top goalie actually would work well for Sam Ersson, whose strong play comes in waves but struggles to maintain consistency. Sliding him into a 1B role with a bonafide 1A should make things much better overall.
The biggest knock against Gibson is his age. If he was a couple years younger he would be a no-brainer for the Flyers to target. But acquiring an aging player for two years opens a very short window for success. He either ages and his play falls off, or he stays solid but it wouldn’t be smart to ink him to another multi-year deal in 2027. Could the Flyers get their collective shit together long enough to make giving up major assets for Gibson worth it in the short term? It’s possible, but based off of recent history, unlikely.
Goaltender is certainly a position the Flyers should be addressing with some kind of legitimacy. Thus, they should at least do their due diligence with Gibson. But given the uncertain direction of the team at the moment thanks to the mixed messaging coming from the front office, spending major assets on the guy may just not be the right play. But if they’re serious about competing (and particularly if they don’t overhaul the offense or center depth) than finding a top notch goaltender should be priority number one and there’s no better option out there at the moment than John Gibson.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 