Three staff members from The Athletic recently ranked the outlook of all 32 NHL teams from a present, future, and salary cap perspective. The Anaheim Ducks’ current ranking was 15th, their future ranking was eighth, and their cap situation was 27th. Their overall outlook in net ranked 11th out of the entire NHL.
The Athletic writers Sean McIndoe, Scott Wheeler, and Jesse Granger each took on an aspect for this project and each element was given a weight. Current rankings received a 1.0 weight, future rankings received a .75 weight, and salary cap rankings were given a .5 weight. Granger ranked the teams based on their current outlook, Wheeler ranked based on future outlook, and McIndoe ranked how each team fared in net based on salary cap situations.
Current
All indications point toward John Gibson (31) and Lukas Dostal (24) playing in more of a tandem deployment system in net for the 2024-25 season with the Ducks. Gibson had been the workhorse goaltender in Anaheim for over half a decade but saw the percentage of games he started drop to its lowest number since 2015-16, as he started 44 games in 2023-24. Dostal started the other 38.
“It’s a situation to where who’s playing the best could be taking the net,” Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek stated during his exit interview in April regarding the Ducks goaltenders. “We have two goaltenders who can play equally well. I think it’s a really good thing in a sense to where there’s competition within the lineup and that’s going to bring out the best in everyone and our team.”
In 2023-24, Gibson posted a career-low save percentage of .888 and saved -0.225 goals above expected per 60 minutes. In his rookie season, Dostal finished with a .902 SV% and saved -0.137 goals above expected per 60.
Those numbers don’t paint the entire picture, however. In recent years, goaltending stats have become more of a reflection of the environment the goaltender is in rather than a measure of how good a goaltender is.
Dostal last season and Gibson in the previous five have been tasked with giving their best efforts to stop shots in an overwhelming number and variety of high-danger situations. The defensive structure in Anaheim has allowed seemingly non-stop chances on shots from seam passes, odd-man rushes, through layered screens, etc. over the last five seasons.
A second season with Greg Cronin behind the bench could put an end to the bleeding of chances as the team will be more familiar with his vision, system, and set of standards defensively. As a result of the improved environment, the numbers for the two Ducks’ netminders could likely increase significantly.
The Ducks Goaltending Outlook for 2024-25
Lowered expectation, pressure, and workload on Gibson’s shoulders could yield increased numbers for the goaltender who has already played 477 games in his 11-year NHL career.
Dostal seems ready for an increased role after a spectacular World Championship performance that saw him win a gold medal, post a 6-2 record (zero regulation losses) at the tournament, a .939 SV%, and three shutouts, including a 2-0 victory in the Championship game against Switzerland.
The luxury the Ducks have in their crease is consistency. While the numbers may not reflect the sentiment, their goaltenders constantly made the saves they had to make, rarely let in soft goals or backbreakers, and gave their team a chance to win on a nightly basis. That’s all a team can ask of their goalies.
Future
The Ducks have drafted seven goalies in their last ten drafts, including in three straight drafts from 2021 to 2023. The Ducks will enter the 2024-25 season with six goaltenders under contract in their organization, five of which are under 25 years old.
Dostal and Gibson are set to make up the tandem in the NHL with the Ducks while Calle Clang (22) and Tomas Suchanek (21) will likely remain the tandem in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls for a second consecutive season.
Clang (77th overall in 2020) struggled a bit in his first season in North America with the Gulls. After wrapping up a three-year stint in the SHL where he posted a .906 SV% in 43 regular season games and a .912 in three playoff games, he finished the 2023-24 season with a .897 SV%, appearing in 32 games.
Suchanek could be considered the breakout player for the Gulls last season, where he posted .910 SV% and three shutouts. He was credited for 14 of the team’s 26 total wins in 2023-24, as the team finished 28th out of 32 in the final standings.
Like with the Ducks, the Gulls could see improved results moving forward as Matt McIlvane will return for his second season behind the bench.
The Ducks signed Vyacheslav Buteyets (22) to an entry-level contract on May 1 and he will transition to North America for the 2024-25 season. Buteyets (178th overall in 2022) played the previous three seasons for Chelmet Chelyabinsk of the VHL, Russia’s second-tier league, where he posted a .923 SV% and four shutouts. It’s unclear where he’ll play in 2024-25, whether with the Gulls in the AHL or with the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.
Ducks Sign Goaltender Damian Clara to Entry-Level Contract
Damian Clara (19) rounds out the Ducks goaltending pipeline. The Ducks signed Clara (60th overall in 2023) to an ELC following his 2023-24 performance in HockeyAllsvenskan which saw him lead Brynäs IF to a promotion to the SHL with a .913 SV% and four shutouts. He added a 10-1-0 record and a .931 SV% in 11 qualifying games and earned honors as the first non-Swedish player to win the Guldgallret award as HockeyAllsvenskan’s top junior player. Clara will play the 2024-25 season for Färjestad BK of the SHL, joining fellow Ducks prospect Stian Solberg.
The Ducks’ goaltending pipeline is so potent and deep that they were able to trade prospect Gage Alexander (148th overall in 2021) in July to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a fourth-round pick and forward Robby Fabbri.
Salary Cap
The Ducks have $7,212,500 dedicated to their crease for the 2024-25 season. Dostal will make $812,500 against the cap and become an RFA with arbitration rights when the season is over. Gibson has three years left on his contract that carries an AAV of $6.4 million and a 10-team no-trade clause.
While in a vacuum, dedicating over $19 million to a goalie (Gibson) with sub-par statistics and on the wrong side of 30 years old seems like a less-than-ideal situation, some context is missing.
The Ducks are currently nearly $22 million under the salary cap for the 2024-25 season. Mason McTavish and Lukas Dostal are the only potential core pieces under 25 years old who are due contract extensions before the 2025-26 season.
Sergei Bobrovsky’s Spectacular Playoff Performance Could Impact the Narrative Around John Gibson
They have just over $47 million committed to 14 players for the 2025-26 season. The NHL salary cap is projected to increase by roughly five percent per season for the foreseeable future.
Gibson’s contract juxtaposed with his statistics could be seen as a considerable hindrance for most teams. For the Ducks, who are in need of stability and experience while possessing an abundance of cap space, Gibson’s contract isn’t a detriment.
The goaltending position has become more volatile and subject to the environment surrounding the crease, which has caused a shift in the value of individual goaltenders. Teams are transitioning more toward tandems through the regular season and, in the playoffs, deploying the goaltender who’s performing better at that time.
The Ducks are set up well in net regardless of their contending window. If their rebuild is accelerated, Gibson and Dostal will provide a steady and dependable tandem. If their rebuild takes a bit longer, Gibson will continue to provide a leadership presence as Dostal continues to progress in a nurturing environment.
The Ducks have also given themselves plenty of options in the pipeline as they will have four U23 goaltending prospects playing elevated minutes in competitive professional leagues around the world. One of them will have the opportunity to eventually emerge as a member of a tandem with Dostal in the future with Anaheim.
THN Anaheim Ducks Show – Free Agency Moves & RFAs
NHL.com’s Seemingly Low Fantasy Projection for Mason McTavish
