Latest Red Wings Rumblings: Stamkos? Gibson? Jarry? Buy Outs?

As Red Wing fans continue to try to make sense of the shocking and befuddling trade that sent Jake Walman to San Jose, rumors continue to swirl around the Red Wings.  One critical consensus?  The only possible explanation for sending Walman—a serviceable (at minimum) 28-year-old defenseman who spent the bulk of his season on the top pair on a reasonable contract—away, with a second round pick attached to him, for "future considerations," which in most scenarios proves to be nothing, involves a bigger move to follow, one which required maximal salary cap freedom in a hurry.

One version of this line of thinking came from Sportnet's Elliotte Friedman, who said of the Walman trade "I really do believe it is the prelude to something else...I do think he's been at least talking to Anaheim about John Gibson.  I've also heard Tristan Jarry."

Gibson has spent his entire 11 season career in Anaheim, where he has become a liminal case for measuring the relationship between a goaltender and (what has become in recent years) porous team in front of him.  Last year, Gibson played 46 games, earning an .888 save percentage and 3.54 goals against average.  For his career, he has a .910 SV% and 2.90 GAA in 477 games.  The high-water mark of his reputation came in the 2017 postseason, when he put up a .918 SV% in 16 games, though ultimately lost to the Predators in the Western Conference Final.  Gibson, now 31 in July,  has three years left on his deal with the Ducks at an average annual value of $6.4 million.

Jarry turned 29 in April and put up a 2.91 GAA and .903 SV% in Pittsburgh this year, where he hardly played behind a stalwart defensive outfit.  Just two years ago, he was a .919 and 2.42 in 58 games for the Penguins, though he has often (at times unfairly, at times understandably) been a scapegoat for Pittsburgh fans.  He is signed at a $5.375 million cap through '27-28.

Meanwhile, on the latest episode of his show for the Steve Dangle Podcast Network, Chris Johnston offered a similar perspective to Friedman, with some slightly different possibilities.  Among those is Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, whose tenure in Tampa may be running short.  "If Stamkos hits July first, I could see a lot of reasons why [Detroit] would be a fit," opined Johnston.  He added something which is perhaps more significant than any individual player connected to the Red Wings via rumor when he said that Detroit is a team of whom free agents believe "okay maybe this is a team I can win a Cup with in a couple year's time."  That should make recruitment easier for Yzerman and his brain trust.

Johnston also said that the Red Wings may be ready for "a buyout or two."  Because of the late conclusion to the Cup Final, this year's buyout window is unusually short, running from just today through Sunday (as opposed to the more customary 10-12 day window).  He also reiterated Gibson as a possibility for the Red Wings.

It's been a confusing past 48 hours for the Red Wings, but if there is one consensus as to its fallout, it's that more is to come soon, so be sure to keep up with everything right here at THN Detroit.