Desperate Red Wings had to take a chance on former All-Star goalie 

After failing to reach the postseason for nine-straight years, a record among "Original Six" teams, the Red Wings can't worry about stockpiling future draft picks anymore. 

Up until this point, Steve Yzerman, who made his return to Detroit as team vice president and general manager to replace Ken Holland in 2019, has been hesitant to go all in as he continues a decade-long rebuild forced upon the Red Wings when the core players from their Stanley Cup teams aged out of the league. 

Yzerman failed to add anything of note at the trade deadline in either of the past two seasons despite Detroit finishing just shy of a playoff birth in 2023 and then entering last season with pressure to break the drought. The Red Wings finished the 2024-25 season with a 39-35-8 record for 86 points, fading down the stretch. 

This Gibson trade may signal a sea change in philosophy for Yzerman as he faces pressure to expedite Detroit's rebuild. 

Yzerman has proven he can build a winning team in the past - he was the architect of what became the recent Tampa Bay Lightning dynasty. But his past success as a a player or executive doesn't mean much to Red Wings fans now as Detroit fans are growing frustrated with the direction of the team. 

Since goaltending has been one of the clear weaknesses in recent years, it was time to finally bring in someone who can stabilize the position. 

Cam Talbot appeared in the most games of any Detroit goalie this past season. But he went only 21-19 with a 2.93 goals against average. Talbot can be a serviceable backup at this point in his career, but his days as a starter on a playoff team appear over. Beyond Talbot, Alex Lyon was 14-9 in 30 games. 

While Gibson does come with some uncertainty as well, mostly due to battling injuries, there are reasons to believe he can be a quality presence when healthy. 

In 28 starts, Gibson went 11-11-2 last season, but registered a 2.77 goals against, a mark that would've been the best among Detroit goalies who appeared in at least nine games. 

Gibson is a three-time All-Star and has twice finished in the top 10 for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded annually to the league's best goalie. Gibson even won the William M. Jennings Trophy once for posting the lowest goals against. 

Maybe Gibson won't ever be elite again, but based on the deal and the fact he represents a serious upgrade, it made sense to pull the trigger. 

It's also very likely Yzerman is far from done trying to retool the roster this offseason.