Gibson denies trade rumors, wants to see Ducks rebuild

Anaheim Ducks all-star goaltender John Gibson refuted a recent report that he's requested a trade out of Orange County.

"All of the rumors that I got in a call from (agent) Kurt (Overhardt) yesterday are false because I haven’t had a conversation with anybody there," Gibson said, according to The Athletic's Eric Stephens. "None of that is true.

"When I signed my extension in Anaheim however many years ago, I said I’d be honored to play in the same city and be a part of the same organization my whole career. I still have all my intentions on doing that."

Gibson's eight-year, $51.2-million contract kicked in for the 2019-20 season. Anaheim has finished no higher than sixth in the Pacific Division each of the last four years, but Gibson thinks the franchise can turn a corner under new general manager Pat Verbeek.

Verbeek took over the position in February and promptly sold some long-time Ducks players to recoup future assets. The club traded Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Rickard Rakell at the deadline, giving Anaheim four picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft as well as nearly $40 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly.

Gibson sees this summer as a big opportunity for the Ducks to become playoff contenders again.

"I think that’s the exciting part," Gibson said. "We can go back to saying all the moves that were made last season and all that, but it opened up a lot of money into cap space. It opened up draft picks and opportunities to help make our team better this offseason. You ask anybody on the team, they’re excited to see what’s going to happen. See, hopefully, how our team gets better and add some pieces and see where that goes."

Gibson was drafted 39th overall in 2011 and broke into the NHL in 2013-14. He immediately made a name for himself as one of the league's top netminders, owning a .921 save percentage and 57.7 goals saved above average in 228 appearances over his first six seasons.

However, his numbers have dipped drastically over the past three campaigns. Gibson is 47-71-21 with a .904 clip and minus-19.1 GSAA over a 142-game span since 2019-20.