Detroit Red Wings goalie John Gibson is entering the final year of his contract. He is 33 years old, and it is questionable whether Gibson will be in the long-term plans of the Red Wings.

Gibson last season had a 29-22-4 record with a .901 save percentage and a 2.72 GAA, along with four shutouts, including a midseason heater that carried Detroit for weeks. After the 2026-27 season is over, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

There are many questions about if the Red Wings will become playoff contenders this season or not. They finished with a 41-31-10 record last season with 92 points and they missed the playoffs for the 10th straight season. If Detroit is not in playoff contention by the NHL trade deadline, which three teams could potentially make a trade for him?

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks could be the one trade partner that would make the most sense for the Red Wings. Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic could very well be the goaltending tandem for San Jose this season. However, Askarov played in 47 games last season and had a 21-20-4 record with a .884 save percentage and a 3.63 GAA.

Nedeljkovic played in 40 games last season and had an 18-14-4 record with a .896 save percentage and a 2.87 GAA. Gibson would be an upgrade between the pipes for this hockey team. If Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks are going to make the playoffs, they will need better goaltending.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres made the playoffs last season. Buffalo has been trying to upgrade the goalie room because they are interested in Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. If the Sabres can’t get him at some point, they will have to turn elsewhere.

Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were the primary goalies for Buffalo last season. Colten Ellis played in some games for Buffalo as well. The team had a .907 save percentage last season. During the playoffs, Lyon and Luukkonen were both between the pipes. Gibson could be a slight upgrade over both of those players.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup last season and are always looking for ways to improve the roster. They won the Stanley Cup despite the goalies having an .886 save percentage during the regular season. Frederik Andersen is no longer on the team after signing with the Edmonton Oilers. Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov will be the goalie tandem for the Hurricanes this season, and LeBrun listed Carolina among the Hellebuyck suitors as well.

Carolina needs to find a way to get better goaltending play if they want to go back-to-back. Gibson would be the primary starter for the Hurricanes if they traded for him now.

Trey Augustine

One of the main reasons why the Red Wings could very well trade away Gibson at the NHL trade deadline is because of goalie prospect Trey Augustine. He will be playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins at the AHL level this season. Augustine played with the Michigan State Spartans from 2023-2026.

He played in two games with Grand Rapids in the AHL for the 2025-26 season. Augustine is just 21 years old. In 34 games with Michigan State last season, he had a 24-9-1 record with a .929 save percentage and a 2.11 GAA, along with zero shutouts. In two games with the Griffins, he had a 0-2 record with a 3.39 GAA and .878 save percentage.

It would not make sense for interim general manager Shawn Horcoff to give Gibson a new contract. It would make more sense to trade him or not re-sign him after the 2026-27 season. They don’t need to give him a new three-year deal because they shouldn’t block Augustine. He should be the goalie in 2027-28 here.