Pucks of a Feather
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Anaheim Ducks: 5 Reasons to Look Forward to the 2019-20 Season

By Jonathan Watson

ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 21: Sam Steel #34, Max Comtois #53, and Kiefer Sherwood #64 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Sherwood's second period goal during the game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 21, 2018 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 21: Sam Steel #34, Max Comtois #53, and Kiefer Sherwood #64 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate Sherwood's second period goal during the game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 21, 2018 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Anaheim Ducks
ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 05: Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson (36) in goal during the second period of a game against the Los Angeles Kings played on April 5, 2019, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Rejuvenated Gibby

John Gibson. Wall of Gibby. The Gibbonator. Whatever you want to call him, he’s been the most underrated and underappreciated goalie in the NHL up to date. His name should have been up for the Vezina as a top goalie, but Ben Bishop, Pekka Rinne, Marc-Andre Fleury, etc., have been getting higher praise than him.

Part of it has to do with the fact that not a lot of people watch him perform his goaltending prowess, but last year, he was the sole consistent light on a team that could’ve been worse than they were. He stood on his head night after night, allowing the Anaheim Ducks to pull off wins they should not have been otherwise.

This year, Gibson bounces back, and if he does bounce back, I predict that finally, someone on the NHL voting panel looks past the usual suspects and gives this man some love. Gibson may sometimes ruffle some feathers, but his play is anything but subpar. With some new additions on offense and a rejuvenated defense, Gibson may finally have the year that he gets national attention.

For Gibson to maintain his prowess, the Ducks must protect him against himself from time to time, whether by resting him periodically and by playing solid defense. It will be interesting to see how Coach Eakins plans to protect his star goalie.

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