The Islanders love carrying three goaltenders, and it appears that not even a change in upper management will buck the trend. Despite Jaroslav Halak leaving, the club figures to operate a three-wheeled carousel in net again with Gibson, Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner shouldering the load. Gibson is only 25 years old and probably has the most long-term promise, but he's by far the least experienced of the three having appeared in only 12 career contests to date. While the hiring of legendary goalie coach Mitch Korn should be a boon to Gibson's development, he could be relegated to spot duty if he doesn't bring his A-game in training camp. In eight starts last season, the Finnish-born puck plugger struggled to a 2-3-2 record, 3.65 GAA and .908 save percentage. Save him for the final rounds of fantasy drafts.
The goalie cupboard is largely bare in Leafland, so Gibson and Garrett Sparks will duke it out for starter's minutes in the AHL. Neither man is considered a lock for an AHL starter's gig, but they'll both have plenty of ice time this year to change that impression. Like Sparks, Gibson split 2013-14 between the ECHL and AHL, and both actually put up better numbers in the A. Watch for a platoon, but don't bother rostering either man in dynasty formats. Goalie prospects are a dime a dozen -- we want to see them deliver on their promise before we invest, particularly with Jonathan Bernier clogging up the net ahead of them.
Gibson, who struggled with consistency in the QMJHL in the two seasons after his draft year, wasn't tendered a contract by the Kings, the team that had taken 49th overall in 2011. So along came the Maple Leafs who inked him to a three-year deal in July. He's too old for junior, so he'll fill a depth spot in either the ECHL or AHL, particularly given the empty goalie pantry in Toronto. He can flash signs of brilliance when he's on his game, but will need to improve his consistency as he moves up the ladder.
Gibson struggled at times last season (2.97 GAA, .893 save percenage) after leading the QMJHL in save percentage (.920) in 2010-11. The second-round selection in the 2011 Entry Draft saw some action at the 2012 World Junior Championships, but didn't fare well in his matchup against Canada and will need to put the pieces back together again in what figures to be another season in the QMJHL.
Gibson posted the best save percentage (.920) in the QMJHL and the second best GAA (2.42) so you can look past the 14-15-8 record. He was the Kings' first selection (49th overall) in the 2011 NHL entry draft and has plenty of time to establish himself before the Kings get too concerned with where he falls on the organizational depth chart.
