Oilers scrapped plans to recall Campbell after poor weekend: report
After speculation that the Edmonton Oilers were about to recall goaltender Jack Campbell this week, it now appears the team has changed course.
Campbell was initially sent to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in early November. Since then he has had a rollercoaster of a tenure, losing his first three games with the Condors before rattling off three good performances.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the Oilers planned to recall the 31-year-old but got cold feet after a poor showing against the Texas Stars over the weekend.
“The plan was to bring back Campbell after three strong starts, but the fourth one, a 6-4 win over Texas, didn’t go well, halting the idea,” wrote Friedman.
Despite the Condors getting the win, there were two shaky goals that Campbell gave up. The first was a quick shot from the left-side faceoff circle that beat Campbell on the glove hand. This was then followed up later in the game with another long shot, this time even further out near the blue line that slid through his five-hole.
Blu is sneaky, it's best to keep your eyes on him at all times đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/nTI0tYEvV4
— Texas Stars (@TexasStars) December 3, 2023
OKAYYYY FIVER! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UkVN0f08bb
— Texas Stars (@TexasStars) December 3, 2023
While these two goals may have extended his AHL stay, it doesn’t appear to have condemned him to stay there for the rest of the season. According to Friedman, the Oilers are still planning on giving the veteran goaltender at least one more chance at the NHL level.
“I still believe the Oilers will give Campbell another shot, as it’s better to try to solve your problem than pay whatever it will take to trade your problem (which would be significant),” reported Friedman. “It might not be until next week.”
While the Oilers want to give their $5 million goalie another chance, Friedman also mentioned that prospect Olivier Rodrigue also needs to get more ice time in the AHL.
Calling up Campbell in the next few weeks would be a risky move for Edmonton. The Oilers are rolling with five straight wins and throwing in a goalie who has not shown well in both the NHL and AHL this season has a chance to throw off the team’s upward trajectory.
That being said, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Oilers coaching staff is not confident with Calvin Pickard, who has only started in one game since he was called up to replace Campbell as the team’s backup.
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