Ex-Oiler Jack Campbell Placed on Waivers by Detroit Red Wings, Preparing Him For a Move

Jack Campbell had entered the NHL's Player Assistance Program at the beginning of this season, and according to Elliotte Friedman, Campbell has now been cleared by doctors to return.

Placing Campbell on waivers is a sign that he could soon begin playing games again with Detroit's AHL team.

It's been a quick and hard fall from the top for Campbell, who signed a 5 year, $25M contract with the Edmonton Oilers just two years ago.

After a rocky first season with the Oilers, he was quickly sent to the AHL after struggling in year two, and Edmonton bought Campbell out of his contract this summer.

The reasoning behind Campbell's entrance to the player assistance program wasn't made public, but hockey fans who closely watched Campbell had worries about his confidence and mental health.

Too often his self-talk after games was extremely negative, and the weight of struggling seemed to compound on him until he couldn't succeed anymore.

When he allowed a bad goal against, fans could see Jack Campbell visibly sulk in the crease sometimes. If it came on the first shot of the game, there could be real trouble.

Although it didn't go well with Campbell in Edmonton, Oilers fans can still hope the best from him as personally - by all accounts he was a great teammate and a kind hearted person.

Hopefully Campbell gets some playing time in with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffiths, and find his confidence as a goaltender again. He's behind Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon in Detroit, so it may be unlikely that he sees NHL time this year barring an injury.