Oilers may finally rid themselves of Jack Campbell

To put it lightly, the tenure of goaltender Jack Campbell with the Edmonton Oilers has not gone according to plan.

He was sent to the minors after a rough start with Edmonton this season, further bringing into question the hefty five year, $25 million deal that he was given by Oilers general manager Ken Holland in 2022 after a mostly successful tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Upon his arrival with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors, he had a rough start, sporting a 4-6-0 record with a 3.46 goals against average and .888 save percentage. He's somewhat rebounded, with a current goals against average of 3.03 and record of 8-6.

According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli during an appearance on The DFO Rundown podcast, the recent signing of veteran forward Corey Perry could open up an opportunity for the Oilers to finally rid themselves of Campbell's contract. 

“When I did my article about top objectives for each team heading into the trade deadline at Daily Faceoff, for the Oilers, it was third-line centre or second-line right winger. Getting those two pieces for free, signing Perry, Holloway coming back from injury, it changes the outlook of their trade deadline.

They have so much added flexibility. Plus, with less assets out the door, I think it opens up the door for them to move Jack Campbell. You could say, ‘why do they have to do that now?’ But if you were ever to go after someone that has term on their contract, you have to have cap space beyond this year and into the future.

If you were to say, ‘look, the Campbell signing, obviously a mistake, whether it’s now or later, we’re going to have to pay a price to get out of his contract.’ Maybe this is the year you move a 2025 first-round pick plus whatever else you need to get rid of Campbell, and then you’ve got your 2024 pick on the table to add a big defenceman or an elite winger.”

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