Ducks listening once again on Zegras, Gibson
Published
It appears Trevor Zegras and John Gibson will be back on the TSN Trade Bait board this month as the Anaheim Ducks explore the possibility of moving both players.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun writes in The Athletic that Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is listening to offers for Zegras and Gibson, though moving either is far from a sure thing.
Verbeek declined to comment on the continued speculation on Zegras, but did acknowledge interest from around the league in Gibson.
“John’s still a really good goalie,” Verbeek said. “Obviously there’s a market for goalies out there.”
Trade rumours followed the 23-year-old Zegras throughout an injury-plagued campaign for the forward this past season.
Speculation tied Zegras to the Montreal Canadiens, among others, with the forward admitting in April the talk was impossible to ignore during the season.
“You see it,” Zegras told Eric Stephens of The Athletic. "It’s hard not to see. Definitely sucks. I think you can always control what you can control.
"When there are certain teams that there are rumours to, obviously it goes in a different direction so to speak.”
Playing at both centre and on the wing at various times, Zegras finished the year with six goals and 15 points while playing in just 31 games after being sidelined with a groin injury and a broken ankle during the season. He appeared to find his stride late in the season, posting two goals and eight points over his final eight games.
Zegras topped the 20-goal mark in each of the previous two seasons, posting a career-high 65 points in 2022-23 after finishing with 61 points the year prior. He is under contract for two more seasons at a cap hit of $5.75 million after signing a three-year, $17.25 million contract in October as a restricted free agent.
Gibson still on the trade block?
Speculation around Gibson's future with the Ducks dates all the way back to 2022, when the goaltender denied requesting a trade.
The 30-year-old remains signed through the 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $6.4 million and his stats have dropped in each of the past two years. After going 14-31-8 with a .899 save percentage and a 3.99 goals-against average in 2022-23, Gibson posted a record of 13-27-2 this season with a .888 save percentage - the worst mark of his career - and a 3.54 GAA.
Selected in the second round of the 2011 draft, Gibson has spent his entire 11-year career with the Ducks.