It doesn’t make sense for the Washington Capitals to acquire John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. Despite the organisation’s desire for a shake-up between the pipes, trading for the 6-foot-2 netminder would be a misstep on the part of general manager Brian MacLellan.

Washington’s weaknesses in net are well-documented. Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek have whiffed on opportunities to claim the starter’s job and are restricted free agents (RFAs) this summer.

At least one of MacLellan’s RFA goaltenders will likely be dealt this offseason, building on the pursuit of an “obvious upgrade” to his tandem at the trade deadline. As a result, the Capitals are linked with a catalogue of netminders, including Gibson, who denied Nick Alberga’s report that he’s “open to being dealt” from Anaheim earlier this week.

Despite the 28-year-old’s swift rebuttal, he’s still generating plenty of trade talk and could still be moved by the rebuilding Ducks. However, acquiring him this offseason would be a mistake for Washington, and here are three reasons why.

Trading for John Gibson Would Be Too Expensive

Firstly, it’s worth remembering that elite netminders aren’t cheap to acquire. Despite putting up questionable numbers over the past couple of seasons, Gibson is still considered one of the NHL’s best puck stoppers and is an important player to the Ducks.

Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek will be seeking a sizeable package in return for his star goalie, possibly including a first-round pick, promising NHLer, or top-end prospect. That’s steep, especially for an organisation approaching the end of its window to contend.

Speaking of which, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said: “My sense of what it is, is if the Ducks want to do something and it takes Gibson’s permission, they’ll just eventually go to him. I’m just not convinced yet that Verbeek sees trading Gibson as the right move for the team.”