The Edmonton Oilers enter this summer in a tricky spot. After being routed in the second round of this year’s playoffs, they are looking to make improvements to their roster, but don’t have much cap space to do so.
One area they are exploring to free up some room revolves around Kailer Yamamoto. While management would rather trade him, a buyout remains a possibility. If they are able to get his full contract off the books, it would give them more money to upgrade either on the back end or up front. Unfortunately, those positions may not be this team’s biggest need.
Where the Oilers could really use an upgrade is in between the pipes. Stuart Skinner had a phenomenal regular season but was clearly fatigued in the playoffs. After Jack Campbell’s ugly year, Jay Woodcroft didn’t trust him enough to give him starts in favour of Skinner in the postseason, and it ended up being the Oilers’ downfall.
The only way general manager Ken Holland would be able to improve his goaltending situation heading into next season is by figuring out a way to move Campbell. Doing so won’t be easy, as he has four more years remaining on his contract which carries a $5 million cap hit. Coming off of a season in which he posted a 3.41 goals-against average (GAA) along with a .888 save percentage, he is far from a highly valued asset at this point in time. That said if Holland is able to find a way to move on from his contract, one of these three teams could be involved.
Arizona Coyotes
It has become somewhat of a running joke throughout the hockey community that the Arizona Coyotes will take anyone’s bad contracts off their hands. They have been able to get some solid sweeteners as a result, but this team remains years away from being competitive.
The Coyotes were rumored to be looking at moving goaltender Karel Vejmelka at this year’s trade deadline. Ultimately, no move came to fruition, but perhaps they would be willing to do so with Campbell and a sweetener coming their way. It would not only improve things in the crease for the Oilers but would free up some cap room given Vejmelka’s team-friendly $2.725 million salary.
San Jose Sharks
After being right up against the league’s maximum salary cap throughout the 2023-24 season, the San Jose Sharks will enter this summer with plenty of wiggle room. Granted, they have a number of restricted free agents (RFAs) to sign, though none project to get lucrative deals.
There is also talk that they will re-pursue moving Erik Karlsson, which would free up even more money. That could make them a team interested in trading for Campbell. Not only are they in the early stages of a rebuild, but they also need a goaltender with James Reimer set to hit free agency.
Anaheim Ducks
Even with players such as Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras set to sign big deals this summer, the Anaheim Ducks are going to have a ton of cap space entering the 2023-24 season. Not only could they easily fit in Campbell’s contract, but they are likely to move on from John Gibson after the 29-year-old recently requested a trade.
While some may suggest the Oilers and Ducks can work out a deal that sees the two goaltenders swap sides, that may not be the best idea. While Gibson may be an upgrade over Campbell, he has been well below league average in each of the past four seasons and has four more years remaining on his deal which carries a cap hit of $6.4 million. The best-case scenario here would be the Ducks moving him elsewhere and then acquiring Campbell afterward.
Plenty of Great Goaltenders Available
If somehow Holland were able to pull this off, he would have a number of top-tier goaltenders to try and make a move for this summer. The Winnipeg Jets are going to be moving Connor Hellebuyck, and the Pittsburgh Penguins may be doing the same with Tristan Jarry. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers are taking calls on Carter Hart, and the Nashville Predators are believed to be willing to listen to offers on Juuse Saros. All four would be serious upgrades over Campbell and would give the Oilers an excellent shot at winning the Stanley Cup next season.
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