The Anaheim Ducks are nine games into the 2024-25 regular season, and the early results are mixed. Inconsistency is typical with a roster as young as Anaheim’s, as expectations from a standings perspective remain low.
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While the outcomes remain varied, some players deserve their flowers. Troy Terry notched his 100th-career goal on Tuesday night (Oct. 29) against the New York Islanders, extending his point streak to eight games. Leo Carlsson is leading forwards in ice time, as one would anticipate from a franchise center.
However, the most impressive early season performance has come from goaltender Lukas Dostal. With longtime starter John Gibson missing the beginning of the season with an emergency appendectomy, Dostal’s been thrust into a leading role. He’s started seven games and leads the NHL in saves (230) and save percentage (.943, minimum five starts) while boasting a monstrous 11.2 Goals Saved Above Average. Tuesday’s performance was another feather in Dostal’s cap, saving 40 New York Islanders shots en route to a 3-1 Ducks victory in a game where Anaheim was outshot nearly two to one.
Dostal has been considered the heir apparent in Anaheim’s goal crease, but Gibson’s injury has expedited the transition. At one point last week, Gibson was expected to join the Ducks for their road trip. While this didn’t happen, his return to the lineup is inevitable. Beyond relegating backup James Reimer to minor-league duties, Gibon’s return introduces questions to Anaheim’s goaltending rotation. The Ducks would benefit from having two starting-caliber goaltenders in a tandem, but Dostal is making a serious case to be a workhorse. It’s been a popular rumor for several seasons, but now may be the time to explore a trade involving Gibson. However, keeping the tandem together may be in the best interest of a Ducks organization that views themselves as competitive.
Gibson’s Contract No Longer a Burden
By signing an 8-year, $51.2-million contract in 2018, Gibson’s future in Anaheim was set. The Ducks were unknowingly at the beginning of their current six-season playoff drought, and as groups of veterans were traded in the name of a rebuild, his contract was viewed as too burdensome. Most teams that consider themselves a goaltender away from being contenders rarely have $6.4 million in cap space, and Anaheim retaining money on a contract until the 2026-27 season would cost them flexibility.
The salary cap landscape has drastically changed since the 2018-19 season. By the start of next season, Gibson’s cap hit will be the ninth-highest among netminders, which doesn’t include Igor Shesterkin’s presumably massive next contract. And while burning one of three retention spots for multiple seasons can cause issues later on, the end of the 2026-27 season isn’t far away. The Ducks have expiring contracts over the next two seasons that may require retention to trade, but there’s no single season where they’d need to use more than two spots.
Ducks Likely Prefer to Keep Gibson
The Ducks made their internal expectations known by signing Reimer after Gibson’s injury — they’re trying to win games. They could have gone into the season with a tandem of Dostal and an inexperienced Calle Clang and played to the standard of a bottom-five team in the NHL. Reimer has been limited to two starts, each one the tail-end of a road back-to-back. He may have to shoulder the 0-2-0 record, but he has had the unenviable task of playing behind a tired and volatile group of skaters. He gave the Ducks a chance to stay in each game.
If Anaheim is in win-now mode, it’s in the club’s best interest to keep Gibson for the tandem. Dostal is on fire right now, but the workload has questionable sustainability. Not only has he faced the most shots in the league, but he’s tied with Shesterkin for the most high-danger shots against. He’s only started 58 games in his career going into the 2024-25 season and is on pace to start 63 this season. The Ducks need nothing less than stellar goaltending to consistently win, as their offense has chipped in a league-low 21 goals. The best way to ensure their 24-year-old netminder stays sharp is to ease his workload. He’ll need more nights off beyond the second of back-to-backs. A healthy Gibson gives Anaheim a one-two punch capable of shouldering the team’s lack of offense while never overloading one or the other.
The Ducks, under general manager Pat Verbeek, have been deliberate regarding their player transactions, so there will be no rush to move Gibson based on Dostal’s hot start. When he’s healthy, Gibson is still capable of elite stretches of play. If he returns and plays well, Anaheim will likely continue to maintain a respectable record. Dostal may eventually develop into a workhorse, but introducing workload management is important while the team in front of him endures growing pains.
