Oilers' Campbell has massively outperformed Skinner in preseason

The Edmonton Oilers may be witnessing the start of the Jack Campbell redemption tour.

Campbell had a nightmarish season last year in Edmonton, his first after signing a five-year, $25 million contract. Expected to be the Oilers’ number one, he was relegated to backup duty in favour of Stuart Skinner due to his 3.41 goals against average (GAA) along with a .888 save percentage (SV%) in 36 appearances.

Skinner, on the other hand, massively outperformed expectations and wound up being nominated as a Calder Trophy finalist. Due to his success, it was assumed he had a firm grip on the number one role heading into the 2023-24 season, but that may no longer be the case.

As Oilers fans know, it’s always important to temper expectations based preseason play (looking at you, Ty Rattie). With that said, however, it is impossible not to be impressed with how Campbell has looked. The 31-year-old told reporters early on in camp that he worked hard on the mental aspect of his game this summer, and it certainly appears to be paying off.

In his third and final start of the preseason last night, Campbell was excellent once again, kicking aside 35 of the 36 shots he faced from the Seattle Kraken in a 3-1 Oilers win. It marked his third start of the preseason in which he has allowed just a single goal, all three of which he faced plenty of high-quality chances. Though head coach Jay Woodcroft has yet to publicly name a starter on opening night, he was very complimentary of Campbell after last night’s affair.

“I saw progress, not perfection,” Woodcroft said. “I think he should feel really good about where he’s at because he put in a ton of work over the summertime, put a ton of work in here over the last month or so, and he should feel very good about his individual game.

“I’ve said this after every start of his – he’d be the first person to say that he expects to play like that, and I’d be the next person to say we expect him to play like that.”

Despite last year’s disappointing playoff exit, the Oilers are being viewed as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders this season. Having both goalies playing their best would go a long way in helping them accomplish that goal.

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