The Edmonton Oilers have a lot of business to take care of over the next week. With Ken Holland out as GM and Jeff Jackson likely running the show with Paul Coffey until a new general manager is officially announced, the big ticket item is Leon Draisaitl. That said, there are 10 UFAs to consider extensions for, plus a goaltending situation that won’t take care of itself.
One of the plans, as revealed by Oilers Now host and color commentator Bob Stauffer — who is as plugged in as it gets with the Oilers organization’s behind-the-scenes thinking — is that Jack Campbell is out and a new pair of backups will fill the hole.
David Staples quoted Stauffer when he wrote in his piece for the Edmonton Journal that Campbell is likely to be bought out. He then adds the Oilers have their sights set on Phoenix Copley, who played for the Los Angeles Kings last season.
Stauffer notes:
“I think you got to look at the Campbell buy-out, I think you re-sign (back-up goalie Calvin) Pickard, and I’ll give you a name as guy who they might want to sign as an organizational goalie, it’s Pheonix Copley. They tried to sign him before. I wonder if that’s the type of guy that makes sense. And for Jack, I wish Jack the best of luck. He’s a helluva guy Jack Campbell but it just didn’t work out. And so I think you have to go down that path.”
Stauffer wasn’t the only person to suggest a Campbell buyout is coming. Ryan Rishaug hinted on his Got Yer’ Back podcast that he’s hearing the same and that a buyout makes more sense than trying to add a sweetener to any trade and blowing trade deadline currency in the offseason.
Is Copley Really the Right Option for the Oilers?
Copley is an interesting choice. His numbers were not strong last season, posting a 3.16 goals against average and a .870 save percentage in eight games. He did have better numbers in 2022-23, but he’s likely to start the season in Bakersfield if signed.
He might not even be Edmonton’s third-string goalie when looking at the progression of Olivier Rodrigue. The fair question to ask is who was interested in Copley last season? Was it the entire Oilers organization? Or, was it Ken Holland? If the latter, without Holland calling the shots now, it’s hard to gauge just how much interest remains in the netminder.
