Gibson is so overpaid for his stat line that the retention required to move him negates the benefit of trading him if youre Anaheim. Otherwise he would have been traded by now. And no GMs have been willing to take the leap of where theyd give something that Anaheim finds agreeable.
I’m not so sure that’s the case.
Let’s think of the alternatives. If they keep him, they’re paying a 6M paycheque to a backup. If no one wants him at that price tag, then Anaheim is on the hook for his cost.
If they retain half, they’re prob saving 2M dollars for 2 years (assuming they get a 1M back up). That gives them an extra 2M to insert into their lineup.
So option A: you have 6M dollar back up who plays 30ish games
Or option B: you have 1M back up who plays 30 games, an asset or 2 from the trade, and an extra 2M in spending money for your roster.
Again, this all under the assumption that no one is trading for him at full cost.