Gibson is the better player, but Nylander has more trade value
Is that really the case though? There's hardly any data on what Gibson would be worth. I can't remember the last time goalie like that on a reasonable long-term deal was traded.
I certainly wouldn't think so based on the fact that it's harder to find a Gibson than it is to find a winger to play behind your star players. Guys like Toffoli come up in FA sometimes, every now and then you may see trades like Evander Kane.. but when it comes to goalies it's always older guys, tandem goalies, unproven or 1b's.
I guess the way things have been going in Anaheim recently probably hurt his trade value a bit, but this is not just any goalie we're talking about. Before the Ducks fell of a cliff he was considered a top 5 goaltender in the world. Many thought he's better than Vasi.
If a team believes in him and have the assets i'd imagine they would give up more than what anyone pays to get Nylander. Or at the
very least, similar package.
For example Carolina have Reimer and Mrazek up next season.. seems like the perfect opportunity to fix their biggest hole. If the Ducks say let's talk you already know even mentioning anything less than a 1st + solid prospect/good young player and that phone is hanging up faster than you can say cheese.
I think it's fair to say Nylander is easier to trade, but i really do think given the right trading partner who wants a goalie badly enough, Gibson will return a really nice package, one of the biggest ones we've seen a goalie return in a long time.
