Jack Campbell's first AHL start didn't go the way the Oilers had hoped
The Edmonton Oilers didn’t need any more negative headlines after last night’s embarrassing loss to the San Jose Sharks, but they got one.
On a night when the Oilers fell to dead last in league standings after a 3-2 loss to the Sharks, Jack Campbell happened to be making his first start with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL.
Some fans were hoping that Campbell could rediscover his game in the AHL and come back up to help the Oilers later in the season. While that could still play out, his performance last night didn’t do him any favours.
Campbell allowed four goals on just 20 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Abbotsford Canucks. Stat lines can sometimes be misleading, but unfortunately for Campbell, a video quickly circulated showing just how rough his performance was, with one specific goal sticking out.
Jack Campbell is off to a banger start in the AHL.
3 goals on 11 shots thus far.
ā /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) November 10, 2023
Before getting assigned to the Condors, Campbell had put together a 4.50 goals against average (GAA) along with a .873 save percentage (SV%) in five starts with the Oilers. The leash was extremely short on the 31-year-old after he struggled immensely in 2022-23 as well. Despite the struggles, he recently admitted to Lachlan Irvine of Oilers Nation that being placed on waivers caught him off guard.
āPretty surprised, not gonna lie,” Campbell admitted. “You know, it’s not been fun up there so far this year. We’re working through it and obviously looking to get the results going, and hearing the news was very difficult.”
Whether Campbell winds up getting another shot in the big leagues remains to be seen, but it is very hard to picture that happening if he continues to struggle like he did last night. As of now, he seems to be a buy-out candidate this coming offseason.
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