Oilers willing to buy out Campbell if they can't find a trade partner: report

It appears that Jack Campbell’s time with the Edmonton Oilers is nearing its end.

This comes as little surprise, of course, as Campbell spent most of the 2023-24 season in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors.

Campbell just finished up the second year of a five-year, $25 million contract. The signing has been a disaster for the Oilers, as he wound up being the backup to Stuart Skinner two seasons ago and was replaced as the backup by Calvin Pickard this past season. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported yesterday on Insider Trading that they are currently trying to find a trading partner to move the 32-year-old.

“The Oilers have solidified their crease for next season with the Pickard extension,” Johnston said. “They’ve had some talks, Edmonton has, on moving Campbell to get off his contract. If they don’t, the buyout window closes Sunday, and they are willing to use it.”

Ideally, the Oilers will find a trade partner to move Campbell’s contract before Sunday, but as Johnston alluded to, management has solidified their crease for next season. Skinner is already locked up, while Pickard signed a two-year, $2 million extension yesterday.

Should the Oilers go the buyout route, this would affect their cap moving forward, per CapFriendly.

CapFriendly

As shown, the Oilers would save significant cap space for the next three seasons but would be on the hook for $1.5 million for an additional three, with it officially coming off the books at the end of the 2029-30 season. It’s far from ideal but may be necessary, given how ugly this contract has turned out to be.

Despite his struggles, there could be some teams that think Campbell is capable of a bounce back. After being sent to the AHL, he turned his play around, posting a 2.63 goals against average (GAA) and a .918 save percentage (SV%) in 33 appearances.

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