Three bad contracts the San Jose Sharks could take on for future assets
By Conor Power
Jack Campbell
Goaltending has been a problem for a lot of teams, but perhaps the most desperate team for a netminder is the Edmonton Oilers. They were down in the doldrums of the league for a while when their goaltending was at its worst, but they seem to have recovered a little now. It doesn't mean that the Oilers will not be looking for an upgrade in goal when the time comes.
With an upgrade in goal needed, the Oilers will have a spare netminder. Calvin Pickard can go back down, but the goaltender they have in the AHL right now is the one of interest here. Jack Campbell is a netminder that tends to be incredibly streaky, When he is good, he is very good. When he is bad, he is a sub .800 netminder in the AHL, and it really is the problem with a netminder of his skillset.
Campbell's tenure in Edmonton has been mared in struggle. He's been dire and could use a frsh start away from the pressure cooker that is the Edmonton media circus. With the Oilers struggles being exaggerated due to the media pressure and the expectations placed upon them before the season to win the Stanley Cup, you cna be forgiven for thinking Campbell has been the entire problem. Truthfully, he's been scapegoated a little.
His NHL numbers are not good by any means, with an .873 save percentage and a 4.50 goals-against average, he was a little hugn out to dry in the five games he played at the NHL level this season. After that, he was waived and sent down to AHL Bakersfield, and his stats with the Condors are not much better. In 10 games, he has a .888 save percentage and a 3.46 goals-against average. He is struggling right now.
In year two of a five year deal that sees him make $5 million a year, he will be quite expensive against the cap, but it also means you can demand a lot to take on the problematic deal the Oilers have. If the Sharks could get Philip Broberg alongside the 2024 first-round pick in a deal that sees the Sharks replace pending UFA Kaapo Kahkonen in the organization with Jack Campbell, it wouldn't be a bad deal for club.