AHL Coach Blasts Campbell: Needs to “Stop The Ones He Should”

AHL Coach Blasts Campbell: Needs to “Stop The Ones He Should” NHL Trade Talk.

You know things aren’t going well for you when your AHL coach says you can’t stop pucks. That’s the current situation for Edmonton Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell, who is currently in the AHL working on his game. The hope is that Campbell can play well enough to call him back up to the NHL, but things have gone from bad to worse.

Not only is Campbell not playing well in the minors, he’s arguably playing worse than when he was in the NHL. Things have gotten so bad that his current AHL coach Colin Chaulk spoke publicly in an interview about the fact Campbell is struggling to make routine saves.

During an interview with Jason Gregor of SportsTalk 1440, Chaulk commented on how Campbell is doing. It wasn’t a glowing review. He explained:

“Recently it is goals that are going in that need to be stopped. When he first got here he wasn’t in a place he wanted to be, then he found it and played well, but then last game three go in that he needs to stop. His attitude has been great, and we need him to stop the ones he should.”

A good attitude is fine and dandy, but at some point, Campbell needs to get back on track.

What’s Next for Campbell and the Oilers?

The reality is, this is probably the end of the road for Campbell in Edmonton. It’s all but proven now that this contract was a total disaster and that Campbell is more than struggling. He’s lost the ability to be reliable. There’s absolutely no way the Oilers can bring him to the main roster if he can’t make a routine stop in the AHL. They need wins too badly to risk him costing them a game.

Unfortunately, the more he struggles there, the more it will cost the Oilers in terms of a sweetener to move him.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently said during an interview that the Oilers would be asking a lot of a team to take on a player who seems to have lost all ability to be an NHL netminder. “It’s a big ask for a team to take that on,” he said. “Are their teams willing to do it? Yes. But is it going to cost the first and a second or two firsts or a first and a top-tier prospect? Also yes.”

He suggested it would take a combo package that has Campbell included to make it work from an Oilers perspective. Otherwise, a buyout at the end of the season is starting to look more and more realistic.

Insider Projects Oilers Larger Combo Deal to Trade Jack Campbell

AHL Coach Blasts Campbell: Needs to “Stop The Ones He Should” NHL Trade Talk.