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Ducks demote Enroth, so Gibson’s close to a return

Anaheim Ducks v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 12: John Gibson #36 of the Anaheim Duck tends goal against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on January 12, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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The Anaheim Ducks are flying high - er, waddling with some swagger? - right now thanks to Jonathan Bernier’s somewhat shocking turnaround, but the pending return of John Gibson is promising.

(Especially since the Ducks will likely want him to shake off some rust before the playoffs begin.)

While it’s not clear if he’s exactly 100 percent healthy just yet, the Ducks sending Jhonas Enroth back to the AHL is a strong sign that Gibson is close.

Enroth actually never got a shot to start for the Ducks, as his last NHL appearance came on Nov. 30, closing off his ill-fated run with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Considering that Enroth was once a fairly hot commodity as at least a promising backup, it will be interesting to see how his 2017-18 season pans out. Will he get more or less of a chance than he received this season?

Bernier, meanwhile, is richly rewarding the Ducks for sticking with him.

He’s provided them with a Vezina-caliber March: 9-1-1, 1.71 GAA and .943 save percentage with one shutout. You almost wonder if there’s at least some potential for a goalie controversy if Gibson stumbles whenever he gets back into action ... but hey, having two good goalies to choose from is better than none.

(Which was the scenario that must have scared the Ducks when Gibson got hurt in the first place.)