Oilers to announce Jack Campbell's fate before NHL Draft

The buyout period runs from June 27th to June 30th, giving the Oilers just three days to make their move. With the NHL Draft this weekend, buying out Campbell could place Edmonton on trade boards.

While there will likely be a second buyout period later in the offseason, the date hasn't been set yet. For someone like Campbell, who seems destined for a buyout, the Oilers need the cap relief now. This extra space could help with draft-day trades and signing free agents.

Jackson on Jack Campbell.

Campbell has three years left on his contract at $5 million per year, but he was so bad, the Oilers sent him to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL where he played the rest of the season.

Over his two seasons with the Oil, his save percentages were a disappointing .888 and .873. Trading Campbell's contract would lose the organization top draft capital, so buying him out and dealing with a smaller cap hit for six years seems like the best option.

With Jeff Jackson likely stepping in as interim GM following Ken Holland's departurer, his first task should be buying out Campbell. Getting the cap space sorted before the draft would be a smart move, so expect this to happen within the next 24 hours. If it doesn't, we're in for an interesting goaltending situation in Edmonton moving forward, even if Stuart Skinner is the consensus starter.