ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson is likely to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing an appendectomy.
The 31-year-old Gibson had the emergency surgery Wednesday night. He will be out for three to six weeks, the Ducks announced Thursday.
Gibson has spent most of the past decade as the Ducks’ top goalie, going 193-206-61 with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in an NHL career spent entirely in Anaheim. The three-time All-Star went 13-27-2 last year with a career-worst .888 save percentage as the Ducks missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Gibson had been competing with Lukas Dostal for the No. 1 spot in Anaheim’s net this fall after the netminders basically split the job last season. The 24-year-old Dostal went 14-23-3 with a .902 save percentage and generally looked sharper than Gibson.
Dostal, a former third-round pick who made his NHL debut in January 2022, also starred at the world championships over the summer, posting a pair of shutouts while Czechia won gold medals.
Gibson hasn’t appeared in a preseason game yet for the Ducks, although he has been practicing at training camp. He has been featured regularly in trade speculation in recent years, but his declining play over the last two seasons dampened the rumors.
Gibson is under contract for the next three seasons with an annual $6.4 million cap hit. He shared the Jennings Trophy with Frederik Andersen in 2016.
The Ducks’ season opener is Oct. 12 at San Jose. Their home opener is Oct. 16 against Utah.
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