The Anaheim Ducks are almost three quarters of the way through the 2015-6 season, and they have a very appealing and interesting problem on their hands. In their last 20 games, they have an unbelievably impressive record of 16-2-2 for 34 points, and this included a seven-game road trip, in which they went 5-1-1.
So what is the problem, and how could this problem possibly be appealing?
Well, for the Ducks, the problem lies in the crease, and it is an appealing problem because the Anaheim goaltenders are both having too much success, rather than not enough success. It’s hard to call this much of a problem as it has greatly benefited the Ducks in their recent streak, but it has proven in the past to be very hard to win a Stanley Cup without a clear-cut starting goaltender, so the Ducks may need to make a big decision soon.
John Gibson and Frederik Andersen have both been absolutely stellar guarding the net for the Ducks this year, and they are giving coach Bruce Boudreau a lot to think about as the playoffs quickly approach.
Andersen, the 26 year-old goaltender from Denmark, is 9-0-1 in his last ten games and has given up just 21 goals in those games. Rewarding his team with 19 out of 20 possible points in the last ten games is a hard stat to argue with, but Andersen has continued to remain the backup goalie on the Anaheim depth chart.
Gibson, the current starting goalie for the Ducks, is a rookie this season at the age of 22 and has long been looked at as the goaltender of the future in Anaheim. Gibson sports a 7-2-1 record in his last ten games and has given up 22 goals in those contests. Gibson represented the Pacific Division in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, is third in the NHL with a 2.10 Goals Allowed Average (GAA), and is tied for fourth in the NHL with four shutouts on the season.
Now, what are General Manager Bob Murray and Head Coach Bruce Boudreau going to do about this situation?
There are three realistic options that the Ducks can consider, but all of them require a large risk and trust in their young goaltenders.
Option 1 is to trade one of them before the trade deadline, and receive a huge piece in return that can help them win the Stanley Cup this season. This option is probably the least likely to happen because of the difficulty to move big name players, along with the amount of talent the Ducks would be losing with either of their goalies if they were to get moved. However, if it were to happen, the Ducks would be able to deepen their roster with a huge offensive addition due to the substantial trade value that both goalies hold.
Option 2 is to pick one of the two young goaltenders and stick with them for the rest of the season. It is common for coaches to do this late in the season, in hopes of their starting goalies “catching fire,” and leading them to a Stanley Cup Championship. This would be a grueling decision for Boudreau to make as Andersen has more playoff experience and has been slightly better as of late, but John Gibson is the current starter and is also the young phenom that Anaheim has been waiting to develop for years.
Option 3, which is the most probable choice for the Ducks, is to continue to have both goaltenders splitting time. While this rarely works in the pursuit of a Cup, Boudreau has always liked having two goalies he can count on, and there’s a chance that Andersen and Gibson may be talented enough to overcome the disadvantages that come with having two active goalies in the playoffs. If Gibson and Andersen were able to split time in net throughout the rest of the season and playoffs and bring the Stanley Cup home to Anaheim, they would join a very small list of goaltenders who have won a cup while splitting time, including the first since 1991.
The Ducks’ next game is against the Buffalo Sabers on Wednesday night in Anaheim. Gibson has started the last two games, so I expect Andersen to get his turn in net, but only time will tell what Boudreau decides to do with the goalie situation this week.
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