Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – A Goaltending Roller Coaster episode on Jack Campbell, the Edmonton Oilers, and their goaltending situation.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “A couple of more things about goaltenders, one team specifically that I wonder about and listen, you talk about the Carolina Hurricanes feeling bad for Antti Raanta the person, I get that, and I think a lot of people felt bad for Jack Campbell, the person.
He’s struggling in Bakersfield. That’s not exactly a secret.”
Friedman: “Pulled again on the weekend.
Marek: “I know it’s he’s having a tough time.”
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Friedman: “Yeah.”
Marek: “Again, you cheer for the person, just one of the great guys of the game and that’s true. Ask anyone who’s ever encountered Jack Campbell.”
Friedman: “Yup.”
Marek: “But again, results-oriented business etc. But about the Oilers and the netminding conversation/decision?
Friedman: “Well Calvin Pickard had won the first two games right, and he played really well, and you know, they did not have a good game on Saturday night. I don’t think you should overreact to one game. But the whole team didn’t have a great game. Like they weren’t very good.
And you know, it’s tough when Florida goes to St. games without scoring and then they pump five past you, right? Like, it’s a night you’re looking you’re sitting there like what happened?
Look, I have no doubt the Oilers are looking. No doubt at all. You know, the problem is, as you said with Campbell, they were gonna call him up a week ago, and he had a terrible start on the Saturday night or was two weeks ago. I think they were considering the idea of, ‘do we ease him back in on the road,’ as the Oilers are about to go on the road and now he got pulled from a game on, on Saturday night.
So like, I think the Oilers you know, I’ve said this a million times, people who’ve listened this podcast, they’ve heard me say it, it was always about let’s bring Campbell back up but it keeps on, unfortunately for him, he just keeps on struggling down there. I, like the Oilers are sitting there saying, I don’t know. I think they’re a bit stuck.
And I don’t have a good answer on this one. Like I was wondering if the Oilers would pick up Raanta. They were very guarded about it. Obviously, didn’t do it. I understand why they didn’t do it.
They have to be looking out there and seeing what are other options. Like the one thing that you know, to his credit Pickard did was he bought them time with a couple of good performances.
Marek: “True.”
Friedman: “Now what do you think? Like you don’t want to burn out (Stuart) Skinner? What are you thinking?
Oh, by the way, we should mention John Gibson. You’ll love this. So John Gibson was phenomenal through two periods against the Devils on Sunday night and he leaves …”
Marek: “Yeah I saw it.”
Friedman: “… for because of an illness. Think he made 18 saves and people are texting me, ‘Did Gibson just get traded to the Devils mid-game?’ And I wish I could show you the text I got when I, when I checked it. And someone said to me, ‘he’s sick, honest, I’m not lying to you.’ Because they knew how this was all going to be taken.
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But Edmonton has to be looking here too. There’s no question about it that you know, we’re we’re getting close to the the Christmas freeze. And you know, someone said to me, the goalies are the most talk right now.
