Jack Campbell unfortunately enters Player Assistance program

The NHL and NHLPA announced Friday afternoon that Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. That means Campbell will be unavailable for an undetermined period of time while he receives care, and his eventual return will be conditional upon medical clearance from the program's administrators.

Campbell, 32, inked a one-year, $775,000 deal with the Red Wings this summer. He's made just one preseason appearance thus far, a September 30 relief outing where he made 20 saves, allowing two goals against. Campbell came to Detroit by way of a buyout of the remaining three years on his five-year, $25-million deal with the Edmonton Oilers, signed in 2022.

It was a tough season last year in Edmonton for Campbell. He was waived in November after only five games with the Oilers, where he tallied a record of 1-4-0 and a save percentage of .874. Campbell spent the rest of the season in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors, where he rebounded back to form with a .918 save percentage over 33 appearances.

Campell's NHL career began back in 2010 when he was drafted 11th overall in the draft, picked by the Dallas Stars. He then went on to play for the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs, where he received the first clear starting position of his career. He starred in Toronto during the 2021 and 2022 playoffs and found his way to Edmonton as an unrestricted free agent. But his first season with the Oilers was chaotic, which ultimately saw him sent down.

As far as ups and downs, Jack Campbell has 176 NHL games of experience with a .909 save percentage to his name to show evidence that he's proved to be resilient. With things cloudy for the time being in Detroit on where he stands upon return from the player assistance program, the track record states Campbell can indeed bounce back.