Edmonton Oilers player review and 2023-24 preview: Jack Campbell
By Zach Laing
2 months agoWelcome to the 2022-23 season review and 2023-24 season preview player-by-player! In this and other articles, we’ll be, well, reviewing the 2022-23 season of Edmonton Oilers players and previewing their 2023-24 season. You can read about the analytics behind my analysis here.
Year one of the Jack Campbell era didn’t go exactly as planned. After signing a five-year, $5-million AAV deal, he massively underwhelmed posting the worst statistical season of his career.
Campbell was the Oilers’ day-one starter, but it didn’t take all that long for him to be usurped in the crease by Stuart Skinner, who had such a great season he was a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
Across Campbell’s 36 appearances, he posted a 21-9-4 record, a .888 save percentage, and a 3.41 GAA. His record and statistical splits remind me of any goalie who played during the 1980s, but as we all know the game has changed. The wins were great, but there’s no denying that few and far between were games where Campbell really helped the Oilers earn that win.
With Campbell in the crease, the Oilers scored 4.53 goals for per hour, while allowing 3.79 goals against per hour.
With Skinner in the crease, the Oilers scored 3.82 goals for per hour and allowed 3.08 goals against per hour.
The numbers paint a stark difference between what happened with each goalie out there. In Campbell’s case, the Oilers were forced to open up their game a bit more and push hard for offence. In Skinner’s case, they were able to pick and choose their spots more playing a tighter defensive game.
As a whole, Campbell’s first year in Edmonton could be nothing short of an anomaly. Goaltenders are voodoo and without a doubt the hardest position to analyze. For Campbell, however, he’s been known as a streaky goaltender in the past dating back to his time with the LA Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Heading into this season, he’s going to be in the backup role behind Skinner and looked to provide the Oilers with 30-odd games this season. His price tag places him right at or around league average for starting goaltender’s pay, while Skinner’s comes in below average for a starter. That means the Oilers, all things considered, are right about where they want to be salary-wise.
For the Oilers, a stronger commitment to their defensive zone play with Campbell in net will be key this season.
CAMPBELL’S CAREER SO FAR
| Season | Team | League | GP | A | PIM | Min | GA | EN | SO | GAA | W | L | T | Svs | PGP | A | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | Texas Stars | AHL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 677 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 3.02 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 353 | 0.912 | – | – | – |
| 2012-13 | Texas Stars | AHL | 40 | 1 | 2 | 2108 | 93 | 2 | 2 | 2.65 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 883 | 0.905 | – | – | – |
| 2013-14 | Texas Stars | AHL | 16 | 0 | 2 | 966 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 1.49 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 391 | 0.942 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013-14 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0.872 | – | – | – |
| 2014-15 | Texas Stars | AHL | 35 | 1 | 4 | 1958 | 99 | 7 | 2 | 3.03 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 964 | 0.907 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Idaho Steelheads | ECHL | 7 | 0 | 2 | 417 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1.73 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 208 | 0.945 | – | – | – |
| 2015-16 | Texas Stars | AHL | 19 | 0 | 2 | 1035 | 63 | 3 | 0 | 3.65 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 481 | 0.884 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | Idaho Steelheads | ECHL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1211 | 34 | 3 | 4 | 1.68 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 572 | 0.944 | – | – | – |
| 2016-17 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 52 | 1 | 0 | 3072 | 129 | 5 | 5 | 2.52 | 31 | 15 | 0 | 1365 | 0.914 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 1.000 | – | – | – | |||
| 2017-18 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1482 | 70 | 1 | 0 | 2.83 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 728 | 0.912 | – | – | – |
| 2017-18 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 267 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2.48 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 134 | 0.924 | – | – | – |
| 2018-19 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1593 | 61 | 0 | 2 | 2.30 | 10 | 14 | 1 | 784 | 0.928 | – | – | – |
| 2018-19 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 4.38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 71 | 0.888 | – | – | – |
| 2019-20 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1202 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 2.85 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 515 | 0.900 | – | – | – |
| 2019-20 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 365 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2.63 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 173 | 0.915 | – | – | – |
| 2020-21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1284 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 2.15 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 539 | 0.921 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 49 | 1 | 0 | 2795 | 123 | 0 | 5 | 2.64 | 31 | 9 | 6 | 1307 | 0.914 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 36 | 1 | 2 | 2026 | 115 | 0 | 1 | 3.41 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 912 | 0.888 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL Totals | 171 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 2.72 | 92 | 48 | 18 | 0.910 |
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
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