Campbell joined the Oilers after a run with the Maple Leafs and it just never worked out.
The Edmonton Oilers did what many expected they would do...they placed struggling goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers to buy him out.
Campbell spent three years with the Maple Leafs from 2000-2002 and established a new NHL record when he opened the 2021 season with 11 consecutive victories. But the Leafs let him go to free agency citing the term as a sticking point.
The Oilers signed Campbell to a five-year, $25 million contract in 2022 and to say that it hasn't worked out would be an understatement.
In two seasons with the Oilers, Campbell has posted a save percentage of .886. He spent most of this season with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors. The Oilers originally had him report there hoping to bring him back up, but he could never get his game back. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard helped backstop Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Final this season.
According to PuckPedia.com, the Oilers will save $3.9 million in cap space this season by buying out Campbell. The only issue is he will be on Edmonton's books occupying some cap space for six seasons.
Ultimately, the Oilers had no alternative with several players to sign as free agency opens.
From a Leafs perspective, Toronto dodged a major bullet. The Leafs went with Matt Murray as an option with Ilya Samsonov in 2022 instead of sticking with Campbell. All three goalies are set to be unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Toronto, on the other hand, has no dead money on its books heading into free agency.
