The Great Anaheim Ducks Goalie Debate – Two Years A.F.

Two years ago the Anaheim Ducks had a pair of number one goalies, John Gibson and Frederik Andersen. For many reasons, Anaheim couldn’t keep both of them and Anderen was the one to go. Did the Ducks make the right call?

On June 20th, 2016, Anaheim Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In return, Anaheim received a late first-round pick in the 2016 draft (Sam Steel) and a second-round pick in the 2017 draft (Maxime Comtois).

At first, I didn’t know how to feel about it when it was announced. Part of me was shocked and the other part of me didn’t really know how to react. I spent most of that year telling myself that they were just rumors that had no substance to them. For example, I saw many posts from Ducks fans reacting to a story about Drew Doughty heading to the Leafs. It caused a bigger frenzy than I had ever seen.

Granted, I had only been part of the Ducks fanbase for maybe a full year at most. Needless to say, I was a little lost. Frederik Andersen is a tremendous goaltender. It’s always tough seeing a great player leave your team but looking back after two full seasons, was it really that big of a deal as we, the fans, made it out to be?

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In his last season with the Ducks, Andersen made 43 appearances, sharing his time in net between John Gibson and Anton Khudobin. He ended the year with a record of 22-9-3 and took home the William Jennings Trophy as a co-winner with John Gibson.

Still Debating

So what was all the hubbub about? What sent the Anaheim Ducks fans into a debate that rears its ugly head still to this day, two years later?

This has been a heavily debated topic. To a get an idea how Ducks fans feel about it; I took to Twitter and asked the following question:

Biases aside, Based on performance with the teams in front of them, Do you feel the Ducks made the right decision in keeping John Gibson over Frederik Andersen?

After three days and 125 votes, 78% of people agreed that it was better to keep Gibson. The general consensus from the few comments I got came down to the fact Anaheim was in a spot where they had two goaltenders who were bonafide starters. It was a matter of just choosing one, there was no wrong choice. Gibson’s contract was a little smaller which is important to a team that keeps to an internal budget.

I’ll admit that I was a big doubter at first. Weird right? The person who’s been telling you to stop blaming the guy wasn’t always a fan. I felt for his age, Gibson wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of being the Ducks number one. At the time, Gibson was only 22. It seemed like a recipe for disaster, but sometimes, you have to trust the process. He has proven, when healthy, he can do the job.

The Wrap

This debate has stayed around for so long because of personal preference. If this season is any indicator, John Gibson’s injury history causes fans to worry. Gibson can’t establish himself as a franchise goalie if he’s constantly out with injuries. Combine that with the fact that Andersen played the majority of the time for the better part of two years and we might have an answer. Both Andersen and Gibson are making names for themselves as some of the league’s elite and are thriving with their respective teams.

Next: Our Tribute to Francois Beauchemin

Hockey’s a cruel business sometimes. The thing that makes hockey fans so great is a deep, deep love for their teams, they attached to players and it’s hard to let go. Frederik Andersen was a gentleman and an outstanding goalie. Fans are going to remember him for years to come.