Nov. 8: As expected, Campbell has cleared waivers, and Pickard has been recalled from AHL Bakersfield, per the team’s Twitter/X account.
Nov. 7: In a surprising announcement, the Edmonton Oilers have placed goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers today, for the purpose of assignment. With plenty of changes seemingly coming to the Oilers after a horrific start to the year, Edmonton has decided to expose Campbell and the $20MM remaining on his contract to the rest of the league.
Back during the 2021-22 regular season, the Oilers ran with a duo of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith throughout the year, a duo who led the team to the Western Conference Finals before ultimately being swept at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. In an attempt to dramatically improve their goaltending, Edmonton inked Campbell to a five-year, $25MM contract, prying him away from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
However, the investment has not gone accordingly for either side of the deal. In his first year as an Oiler, Campbell maintained a solid 21-9-4 record in 34 starts but also carried a .888 SV% and a 3.41 GAA. Ultimately, Campbell was replaced in the crease by rookie netminder, Stuart Skinner, who held a .913 SV% and a 2.75 GAA in 48 starts, comparatively. Nevertheless, Campbell was able to get in four starts during the 2022-23 NHL playoffs, posting dramatically improved numbers with a .961 SV% and a 1.01 GAA.
If there was any hope of Campbell carrying his playoff performance in this year’s regular season, that hope has quickly evaporated. In five starts on the year up to this point, Campbell has a 1-4-0 record, coupled with a .873 SV% and a 4.50 GAA. Although not the entire reason, the lack of adequate goaltending is a substantial factor in the Oilers’ ugly 2-8-1 record to start the 2023-24 season.
In the meantime, as it would be more than reasonable to assume Campbell will go unclaimed on waivers over the next 24 hours, PuckPedia reports that Edmonton will save approximately $1.15MM once Campbell clears and is sent down. Furthermore, Frank Seravalli of the DailyFaceoff indicates that the Oilers plan on replacing Campbell with Calvin Pickard, who is currently serving as the primary starter of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. If the team does call up Pickard, PuckPedia reports that Edmonton will only be saving approximately $388K with the move.
Although Pickard should not be seen as a long-term answer in the net, he ultimately may serve as an upgrade to both Edmonton goaltenders. Similarly to Campbell, Skinner has gotten off to an incredibly slow start with a 1-4-1 record, .856 SV%, and a 3.99 GAA. Pickard, on the other hand, holds a 2-2-0 record for the Condors so far this season, with a .939 SV% and a 2.03 GAA.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report that the Oilers were placing Campbell on waivers.
Seems reality has finally set in.
Not gonna fix any issues in Edmonton but it’s a start. I hope they get him some serious mental health help as well as Jack has always been pretty open (for a professional athlete) about how hockey takes it’s toll on his mental health.
Edmonton’s goaltending has been ABYSMAL. The San Jose Sharks have had back-to-back games where 10 goals were scored on them… Both of Edmonton’s goalies have worse save% marks than Kahkonen and Blackwood.
Like Edmonton is thin on defence, but neither of these goalies are playing at an NHL level. Simple as.
Campbell and Skinner are back ups at best, Ken Holland has to go, And why haven’t we heard from the Oilers new president? Lol.
For once, I agree with Wilf.
Ken Holland masterclass. Maybe you can throw Washington multiple 1sts to swap Kuemper for Campbell. This guy NEVER showed an ability to earn a 5×5
I hated that deal the day it was signed, but credit where it’s due for Campbell, he was excellent in the playoffs last year. Oilers lost in large part because they switched back to Skinner instead of riding the hot hand.
Some team should look at Chris Driedger. Seattle would most likely move him with $$ retained.
While I don’t disagree that Seattle would be willing to retain salary on a Driedger deal, I think the Kraken would prefer to wait. They are not in a cap pinch. So while it would be nice not to have that buried penalty, there is no hurry. They might a as well wait. If he performs well for the Firebirds his value will go up. And in the mean time he’s insurance on a goalie getting injured. Unless they really get something for him (which I doubt right now but could happen later) I don’t see a real benefit to moving him.
Better ph Sweeney and Offer up RNH, and 2 firsts for Ullmark!
Two firsts and Nugent-Hopkins? Alright, I sure do like Ullmark, but I’d take it.
I don’t see Boston doing that trade since they are currently 1st in their conference.
Pickard may help temporarily but defensively as as a whole the Oilers need work. Bouchard has been massive liability when ever the other team has the puck. Afraid it’ll get uglier before it gets better – gotta think Columbus with its surplus of Dmen is getting plenty of calls
I offer Severson for Draisaitl.
There is no way McDavid is 100 % at all..Hurried back to play in a outdoor game…this could hurt him all year..
Oilers don’t have a game between Nov 30 – Dec 6, and then have the Xmas break. He should finish healing in one of those breaks if he doesn’t take a game or 2 off before then.
I’d be more worried about what is wrong with Draisaitl.
there problem is defense. They could have patrick roy/martin brodeur they would not win . Mcdavid also has too live with choosing to play in outdoor game . Just too see Nickelback.
The problem with going outside the organization for a goalie is that he can’t have trade protection. And, that includes the “implied” trade protection. As in, “Sure, you can trade me there (wherever “there” is), but I’ll just tank my way out.” GMs need to be able to talk to a player to see if he wants to come to that team, and if not, pass on him for another candidate.
Edmonton should get a defense.
The ibwonder if the habs could trade 1 of there goalies for campbell with 50% retained and poach a few asset’s. Hell they even have a young dman in harris they could include if the price is right. I dont know what EDMs prospect pool looks like but i imagine its not great
Edmonton has many decent but not spectacular prospects. Broberg, Bourgault, Akey, Rodrigue, and Petrov to name a few currently not on the NHL roster. Then if you want to consider them still prospects they have Holloway and Lavoie up right now. But either way, they’re not including multiples of those plus their 1st while retaining 50% on Campbell. Retaining 50% on Campbell would cost them 2.5M per for 3.5 years, buying him out next offseason would only cost them 1.5M for 6 in comparison. And they could really use that extra 1M per for raises due to Drai, McDavid, and Bouchard in the next couple years.
The Oilers were on the clock with the best goalie prospect in years on the boards and they traded down.
That was the moment they wasted McDavid’s career.
Askarov was selected before the Oilers had a pick, and he wouldn’t be affecting the team yet. And then the next year Cossa was taken before their pick was up and he wouldn’t be affecting the team yet either. But I guess Knight could be starting for them now if they took him instead of Broberg in 19. But they had just taken Rodrigue in the 2nd round in 18.
They traded the Jesper Wallstedt pick to Minny.
Not the best G prospect in years as I showed 3 guys drafted in years around then that were more highly rated.
Plus the Oilers had Skinner and Rodrigue already in the system whom they believed could be their G of the future. Last year Skinner showed there is talent there, something has gone wrong this year. Maybe he gets it back, maybe he doesn’t. And just maybe Rodrigue becomes their #1 of the future. Rodrigue does have the lowest GAA and highest Sv% in the AHL right now. Unfortunately the team defense of the Oilers would probably break his development so no use calling him up yet.
The first few results from Google for “NHL goalie prospect rankings” have Wallstedt ranked 1st, 1st, 2nd and 3rd best.
Having him might be enough hope to keep Draisital.
Instead, they just waived Campbell and Skinner is a dumpster fire.
But, hey what’s his name might be a decent middle six winger one day if everything pans out, right?
1st page, the hockey writers have him 3rd. 2nd page, Daily faceoff, has him 1 but admit he doesn’t have the numbers of Dustin wolf. 3rd, elite prospects has him 2nd. 4th, the athletic, has him 1. 5th page, Dobber hockey, has him 10th. So yes, very highly regarded. But he wasn’t the “#1 goalie prospect” when he was drafted 3 years ago. And the Oilers needed help by now, not next year or going forward. And “what’s his name” Dylan Holloway has been playing for them for last season and this one.
Jesper would look like trash behind that Oilers defense too. No goalie is going to look good on that team.
YES, the Oilers D is awful.
That is why it’s ALL the more important to get the best goalie you can.
Well, for one, Holloway is middling at best. For two, it wasn’t him anyway.
It was Xavier whoever.
And if you want to quintuple down on it, go ahead and defend not having a top goalie prospect because you couldn’t wait for him to develop (but still have no goaltending) so instead you take a mediocre winger who is ALSO still not there, more power to you.
It was a franchise defining mistake that will all but ensure that McDavid and Draisital have to go elsewhere to win a Cup.
And it was right there in the palm of their hand and they gave it away. Unreal.
No sympathy for the Oilers. Inept franchise that lives on an era from thirty-plus years ago. Free McDavid!