The Anaheim Ducks Sign John Gibson to an Eight Year Contract Extension
The future of the Anaheim Ducks is now, and no one knows that better than General Manager Bob Murray. Although some of the transactions he has made this summer have been a bit bewildering, he took some significant strides yesterday in solidifying the future of his team.
I must admit, I have been a bit perplexed with some of the transactions the Anaheim Ducks have made this summer. Think of it what you will, but aside from the Adam Henrique and Brandon Montour extensions, there wasn’t a whole lot for Ducks Nation to be ecstatic about.
The Anaheim Ducks, as well as the fans, had plenty to celebrate when Eric Stephens reported goalie John Gibson had signed an eight-year, $51.2M ($6.4M AAV), contract extension to stay in SoCal.
I was in the middle of a break yesterday when I almost choked on my excitement, and delicious lemon curd and cream cheese brioche, when I read the report that John Gibson was sticking around Anaheim until 2027. After his performance from last season, I knew he was set to receive a much-deserved pay-raise. However, I wasn’t quite sure if the Ducks were going to be able to offer Gibson a deal worth his while.
Although I was slightly shocked by the news, I was even more excited. A little-known fact about me is that John Gibson is one of my favorite players on the Anaheim Ducks. I try to stray away from choosing favorites, seeing as how it is never guaranteed that a player stays on the team for their entire career. I know I may open a can of worms with this questions, but how can you not like John Gibson?
Addressing The “Issues”
At the beginning of the offseason, all of the contributors here at Pucks of a Feather participated in what we like to call “rant week.” Jacob Robles wrote an article urging everyone to stop blaming the goalies for the Anaheim Ducks issues.
As mentioned, the goalies are a convenient scapegoat. That’s why I think some people are not happy with the Pittsburgh native’s new contract. There’s always a need to blame someone, and Gibson is the easiest target. Many unmerited issues lay on the table regarding Gibson, and I think it’s high time we address them, again.
The first issue in the hot seat is the age-old “John Gibson is injury prone” debacle. This argument had some basis of truth before the 2017-18 season. In previous seasons, Gibson was notorious for suffering from groin-related injuries. It was cause for concern.
This past season, if you break it down, all of his injuries, aside from maybe two, were caused when he was hit by a player of the opposing team. Gibson also had a personal record of most games played with 60 under his belt during the 2017-18 season. His 60 games also earned him a spot among the league leaders in goalie games played. This is an impressive feat considering many elite NHL goalies played less than he did.
Another issue I’ve seen bouncing across the internet, like a tumbleweed, is in regards to the playoffs. It is so easy to blame your goalie for the failure of the team. Especially when your side got swept like the Anaheim Ducks did by San Jose last April. It’s a hard issue to get past that when all you see is the scoreboard lit up on the wrong side of an 8-1 score.
Nevertheless, when it all comes down to it, John Gibson didn’t really have a team in front of him. Neither the offense or defense played a cohesive game in front of him. It was hard to singlehandedly fend off every shot taken.
The Best Is Yet To Come
John Gibson is in the prime of his NHL career. He’s still young and agile. Additionally, he’s learned to overcome his self-debilitating injuries. Despite the injuries that handicapped the Anaheim Ducks over and over again during 2017-18, he still managed to end the regular season with a .926 save percentage (SV%) and a 31-18-7 record.
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Even when the team was healthy, many times Gibson had to carry them due to their inconsistency on the ice. The Ducks advancement to the playoffs pretty much points directly to Gibson’s solid effort in net. The cherry on top is that John Gibson owns the highest career save percentage, at .923%, among goaltenders to play in a minimum of 100 career games since 1955-56.
John Gibson’s new contract gives him a decent, and well-deserved raise. It’s reasonable to assume that Connor Hellebuyck’s recent contract with the Winnipeg Jets, a six-year $37M ($6,167M AAV) extension, served to benefit Gibson in his negotiations with the Ducks. Considering how valuable the young netminder has been to Anaheim, Murray signed him for a steal of a deal. Gibson could have easily been worth a few million more than his $51.2M contract is worth.
Yes, eight years is a lengthy contract, especially for a goalie. However, this means that John Gibson will most likely play exclusively for the Anaheim Ducks until he decides to hang up his skates. Which, as a huge John Gibson fan is exciting. The contract also goes to show just how much faith Bob Murray has in Gibson and his future with the Ducks.
“I believe in John Gibson, as does everyone in the organization. This is obviously a major commitment by the club, but one we feel strongly about. John is equally committed to being a Duck. He is only now entering the prime of his career, and we are all confident his best is yet to come.” -Bob Murray, in press release about resigning John Gibson
With John Gibson, as Bob Murray stated, just entering the prime of his career, this should make Ducks Nation giddy with excitement that Gibson is locked up for the next nine season. He’s only going to get better as he matures and develops.
Having someone like John Gibson in the net, who is reliable and very good at his job, will make the Anaheim Ducks contenders for the Stanley Cup for years to come. The best is ahead and I look forward to many more seasons of Ducks hockey featuring Gibby in the net.
Next. Pucks of a Feather Weekly Highlights: 8/4/18. dark
Yesterday was a big day for number 36. Not only did Gibby sign an eight-year $51.2M contract extension yesterday, but he also got married. On behalf of all of us here at Pucks of a Feather, we extend our congratulations to our star netminder!