Former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program Friday, the league announced.
Campbell, 32, was bought out by the Oilers this summer and signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Detroit Red Wings the day free agency opened.
In a statement, the league said Campbell will be unavailable for an indefinite period as he receives care, and will return to the Red Wings when cleared by the program administrators.
Campbell’s tenure in Edmonton lasted just 41 games after the team signed him to a five-year, $25-million contract in the summer of 2022. There were questions about the contract then, but the Oilers were desperate to fill the crease, having lost both Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen from the prior year.
He would play in just 36 games that year, posting a stellar 21-9-4 record, despite an .888 save percentage, a 3.41 goals against average, but he would end up splitting most of the season with Stuart Skinner in the crease. Campbell entered the 2023-24 season looking to redeem himself, but instead, his game fell off even harder. He would play in just five games, posting a 1-4 record, a .873 save percentage and a 4.50 GAA.
The Oilers would place Campbell on waivers on Nov. 7th, days before the team making a coaching change, later assigning him to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. He would find his game there, posting a 18-13-1 record, a .918 save percentage and a 2.63 GAA in 33 games, and would join the Oilers as a Black Ace amid their run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Drafted by the Dallas Stars 11th overall in the 2010 draft, Campbell has played 176 NHL games between his time with the Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Oilers.
