Edmonton Oilers make final decision on Jack Campbell
When the Edmonton Oilers sent down Jack Campbell to the minors earlier this season and he continued to struggle mightily, it looked like his NHL career was totally over. In the last 7 games with the Bakersfield Condors, Campbell has found his game and posted an impressive .935 save percentage. Despite the success, Oilers writer Mark Spector says the Oilers have made a final decision on Jack Campbell.
»Here's the brutal part of professional sports: Campbell could post a saves percentage of .999 down here and (barring injury) the call won't come from Edmonton until playoff time. Between the stability that backup Calvin Pickard has brought to the Oilers tandem, and the fact that Holland won't risk losing Pickard on waivers to get him back to Bako, Campbell's likely here for the long haul this season.»
According to Spector, no matter how good Campbell performs in the AHL this season, he will not earn a call-up to the Edmonton Oilers. It's a surprising and massive shift in thought from what the Oilers initially wanted - to send Campbell down to recover and then call him back up to the NHL.
With four more seasons left on his contract at $5M, it would obviously be ideal for the Oilers to move his contract. It will prove to be incredibly difficult, especially if he doesn't appear in any NHL games to prove his worth before being traded.
It's still a positive sign to see Campbell rebound and find his confidence, which was abundant in the rest of the interview with Spector.
«You watch the games, you watch me the last couple of weeks It's not a skill thing. It's the six inches between my ears,» Campbell said. «It's clicked. It's not perfect, but it's clicked.»
| POLL | ||
Is it the right move to leave Campbell in the minors? | ||
| Yes, it's what's best | 783 | 63.2 % |
| No, call him up to increase trade value | 325 | 26.2 % |
| See Results | 131 | 10.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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