2 Teams That Could Acquire Oilers Jack Campbell
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.
Chicago Blackhawks
While the Blackhawks have had no success this season, and likely won’t have any for a while, they could find themselves in a better position moving forward with a veteran goalie that can actually keep a majority of the pucks out of their net, unlike their current tandem. This trade goes down if Campbell has less value than I realized, and the Hawks ask for an attachment behind taking on such a big contract
There is a lot going on here. The Oilers get their left shot D man they’ve been looking for, along with a physical-sided forward that adds to their stacked depth up front. The Blackhawks take on a bad contract in Jack Campbell but pick up a potential project in Jesse Puljujarvi, and two draft picks. The 2023 draft class is expected to be one of the most stacked classes ever, so the pick has a ton of value, even if it becomes a late-round selection.
The Oilers have been connected to both Domi and McCabe, while the Blackhawks have been connected to Campbell and Puljujarvi in the past. While this deal may seem far-fetched, it could make sense if Ken Holland has another cheap backup goalie option lined up to acquire from another team.
I will say this, the Oilers will likely be hanging on to Jack Campbell FOR NOW. The hot streak he’s on may have saved him from being sent to the minors, but if he falls back into an inconsistent type of gameplay, these are two potential moves I could see happening.
Next. Stuart Skinner Earned His All-Star Votes. dark