4 NHL teams who could be destinations for Oilers’ Jack Campbell

Jack Campbell’s days in Edmonton are numbered. After being sent down to the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL early last season, Campbell only returned to Edmonton to be a black ace in the playoffs.

To say that Campbell’s stint with the Oilers was a failure would be the understatement of a lifetime. Campbell was signed to a $5.5 million per year, five-year contract during the summer of 2022 after a strong couple of seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, those good performances didn’t follow him to Edmonton.

In 41 games played for the Oilers over parts of two seasons, Campbell posted a 0.886 save percentage and a 3.53 goals against average. He did win over half of his games, 22, but that was more due to the team in front of him than what was happening in net. Campbell gave fans hope in the 2022 playoffs when he came in for Skinner for four games, finishing with a 0.961 save percentage and a 1.01 goals against average. Evidently, getting into those playoff games didn’t translate into any more success.

Now, the Oilers are looking for a trade partner for their $5.5 million goalie, who hasn’t played in the NHL since November. The Oilers want a trade, but is anyone willing to take a chance on Campbell at this current price tag? It seems more likely that the Oilers will buy him out, but everyone understands why they’d rather someone else take on the bill.

Either way, let’s take a look at four possible landing spots for the 32-year-old goaltender and why they might make sense.

The speculation around the league is that John Gibson is on the move this summer. Supposedly, the Detroit Red Wings’ decision to move Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks for nothing was to make room for Gibson. Of course, that deal hasn’t happened yet, but if it does, there’s room in the Ducks’ goaltending lineup for Jack Campbell. It’s a low-pressure environment where he can help mentor Lukas Dostal, the future of the crease, while also helping get his game back on track. The word around Campbell is that his teammates love him. Wouldn’t a young upcoming Ducks team be interested in having a guy like that around?

Staying in the Pacific Division, the San Jose Sharks are another team in California that could be in the running for Campbell. The Sharks have over $30 million in cap space this summer even after acquiring Barclay Goodrow and Jake Walman. Mackenzie Blackwood is the only goaltender signed right now, with Devin Cooley a pending unrestricted free agent. While the Sharks want to be better next season, they won’t want to be that good, which makes Campbell a viable option. Their cupboards aren’t filled with draft picks either, so perhaps the Oilers can entice them to take Campbell by handing them a couple of draft picks as well.

It’s uncertain if Scott Wedgewood returns to the Dallas Stars next season, which leaves the backup role up for grabs. Dallas only paid Wedgewood $1 million for two years to back up Jake Oettinger, investing more money into their skaters. Campbell likely wants the same, if not less, while also receiving paychecks from the Oilers. Could Campbell go back to where it all began? With the way the UFA market looks for goaltenders, it shouldn’t be out of the question.

What if the Washington Capitals went for the Los Angeles Kings approach? Last season, the Kings paid Cam Talbot and Pheonix Copley a combined $2.5 million. After one season, they invested in their goaltending, ironically acquiring Darcy Kuemper from the Capitals. That move left Charlie Lindgren as their lone goaltender at a cap hit of $1.1 million. Again, Campbell won’t demand much at all, which would give them more money to invest in their forward group, helping Alex Ovechkin get back to the promised land.