Although playing quite well recently, it still wouldn’t be surprising to see the Oilers try and move Jack Campbell. While winning his last six starts, he still looks a bit shaky in the net, and it’s quite clear Stuart Skinner is the starting goaltender in Edmonton. While he would likely prefer to remain in Edmonton as a backup, there are cheaper options around the league and teams should be willing to pay a bit more money and give up more assets to acquire a new starting goaltender. In this article, I will discuss two rebuilding teams that could make a splash for Jack Campbell either at the trade deadline, or next season.
Detroit Red Wings
In a rather crazy trade deal, the Oilers send Jack Campbell to Detroit in exchange for two players who have yet to find their groove with the Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic was sent to the minors recently for his poor performance and while the team has spoken out saying they wouldn’t trade him just yet, they likely wouldn’t pass up a veteran goaltender who needs a fresh start elsewhere.
Making this swap would be risky, yes. But, if Nedeljkovic is able to find his game, the Oilers running Skinner and Nedeljkovic could make them one of the scariest teams to play against in the post-season. As I mentioned before, Campbell has been playing well, but his six-game win streak can be tallied up as a hot stretch against weaker teams.
Taro Hirose was once a promising prospect with the Wings but has fallen out of order with the team. Playing the majority of his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL trying to find his game, Hirose has played 57 games and scored four goals, adding 16 assists for 20 points at the NHL level.
Similar to Klim Kostin with the Blues, Hirose has some serious skill that isn’t being utilized. If the goalie swap puts both teams in the same spot they were before, the Oilers have more leverage with a more valuable goaltender, thus allowing them to be able to add more to their end of the deal and come out on top.