There was a faceoff in Friday’s Canada vs Finland game at the World Junior Summer Showcase when Andrew Gibson came face to face with the reason he is no longer a Detroit Red Wings prospect.

Canada’s Gibson found himself situated alongside Finland’s Jesse Kiiskinen.

“I lined up across from him on the draw,” Gibson said. Canada won the game 8-6.

“I don’t know if he recognized me. I just kind of looked at him and was like, ‘Hey, this is the guy I got traded for.’

“It was pretty funny.”

Sure, now he can see the humor in it all. However, on June 25, when the deal went down and he was moving to the Nashville Predators, it was no laughing matter to Gibson or his family.

He’d just returned home to LaSalle, Ontario, a stone’s throw from Detroit, following a workout at Little Caesars Arena. While at the rink, Gibson found himself chatting about the day’s events with Red Wings staff.

Moments after he was back home, his phone rang with the news that he’d been traded to the Nashville Predators.

“I walked out and told my mom,” Gibson recalled. “She didn’t believe me at first. She thought I was joking.

“Once it kicked in we were like, ‘Oh my God, what happens now?’”

Only a year earlier, the Red Wings were choosing Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds defenseman Gibson with the 42nd selection of the 2023 NHL entry draft, oddly enough in Nashville. Just 26 picks later, the Predators would grab Pelicans Lahti right-winger Kiiskinen.

Red Wings In Need Of Cap Space

NHL prospects form an instant connection with the team that drafts them. They’re fixated on finding a future within that organization. They never think that the chance might never come.

Growing up so close to Detroit, the bond between Gibson and the Red Wings was an even deeper connection.

“Obviously at first I was devastated,” he admitted. “Being right in my backyard, I was training there every single day. It was great time being there with the staff, getting to know everyone, them getting to see me all year round.”

Acquired by the @PredsNHL via trade, former second round #NHLDraft pick Andrew Gibson is attending Canada’s #WorldJuniors Summer Showcase after a strong sophomore season with @OHLHoundPower.

➡️: https://t.co/gxbVK0Lwnb pic.twitter.com/vKj8kp1AnR

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) August 2, 2024

Once they become part of the professional game, even on a tertiary level as a prospect, one of the common revelations you often hear from these youngsters is that they suddenly come to the realization that they are now part of a business.

Hockey is no longer just a game they play. It is their job, their profession.

“You don’t really think about it, being so young,” Gibson said of the possibiity of being traded. “I didn’t think I could be traded. You think you’re safe.

“Anything can happen, and it’s a business.”

The Gibson for Kiiskinen deal came about simply because of business matters. The Red Wings were in need of cap space. Gibson was a chip that they could put into play in order to create that space.

Detroit was deep in defense prospects, but the club was lacking in developmental depth on the wings.

“We were able to acquire in a trade with Nashville a similar same-level prospect, at least on our board, for Andrew Gibson in Jesse Kiiskinen,” Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said.

They also got a 2024 second-round pick from Nashville with Kiiskinen. Detroit would then flip that second-round pick and veteran defenseman Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks, relieving the club’s cap crunch.

“I didn’t really want to trade Andrew Gibson but we were able to recoup a prospect and get a pick that we used to move out a contract,” Yzerman said.

What To Do With All That Red Wings Stuff?

Of course, there’s another issue at hand when a trade goes down. What to do with all that stuff from the team you’re no longer with?

Yard sale? Donate to charity? Ebay?

“I’ll give it to some friends and family who are fans,” Gibson said of his Red Wings stuff.

Gibson is actually going to be able to repurpose some of his Red Wings gear.

“The gear I’ll keep for the Soo, because they’re red and white,” he explained. “I get the helmet and the gloves for that. I gotta switch the pants out obviously, but it’s nice having a couple of pairs of gloves and helmets for up in the Soo.”

“My house is 20 minutes from here, it’s pretty nice.”

Hometown product Andrew Gibson, a @PredsNHL prospect playing for @OHLHoundPower, is enjoying the opportunity to wear the maple leaf at Canada’s #WorldJuniors Summer Showcase in Windsor 🎥 pic.twitter.com/K2SET7n2E7

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) July 31, 2024

Kiiskinen also figures he’ll dole out his Predators swag to those close to him.

“Maybe I give those for my friends, or my little brother,” Kiiskinen said of his Nashville duds.

As for his Nashville gear, he figures he’ll still be able to make use of it, albeit incognito.

“I could keep those for at home, if I’m practicing, because no one sees what I wear,” he said.