This fall it’s goaltender Jack Campbell, who arrives at The Big E as something of an in-between: good enough to have become a legitimate NHL No. 1 while in Toronto, but like so many others as he exits The Big Smoke with playoff resumes as empty as a Mar-a-Lago file folder. Whatever the trend, the first three former Leafs have been excellent acquisitions for the Oilers, and as Leon Draisaitl said of Campbell, “Let’s hope that trend continues.” With a five-year, $25 million deal to shore up the nets in Edmonton, Campbell is finally where he was supposed to be all along: starting in goal for a Stanley Cup contender. Exactly what the Dallas Stars had in mind when they drafted him 11th overall in 2010. It took a while, to be sure. But the longer the journey, the sweeter the destination, right? “We’re here now,” Campbell said Friday. “You know, I just want to be the best I can be.” Of course, his nickname is “Soupy”. But if we’re going to plow this field, his career is more like a cold, thick Gazpacho than a warm, delicious cookie. Who is this handsome, bearded guy the Oilers have pinned their Stanley Cup hopes on for the next five years? Well, he’s the 30-year-old son of a recently retired Port Huron, Mich., electrical parts distributor and wholesaler. The family business expected Campbell to become a third-generation owner-operator, but he hoped to take a different charge out of life: “I just wanted to play hockey.” A confirmed “cat dad,” Campbell scratched and clawed to get where he is. While Oilers fans watched No. 1 pick Taylor Hall on Opening Night that fall, Campbell would play in two NHL games over the next seven seasons, making two visits to the East Coast League since the 2010 draft day. Dallas traded him outright to Los Angeles for a defenseman named Nick Ebert, who never played an NHL game. He then moved with Kyle Clifford in a trade to Toronto. “I’ve learned a lot, I’ve been through a lot of adversity, but I think playing in Toronto and the different markets I’ve played in has prepared me for this moment,” he said. “The team is ready to do special things and my adversity, you know, I had to be prepared to do that. “Yeah, I’m up for it. I can’t wait to get started.” Like Hyman before him, Campbell comes with the “you’re going to love this guy” guarantee from those who knew him as a Leaf. He’s soft-spoken, looks you in the eye and says “Thank you” after a media confrontation, and seems like the nicest guy. Of course, it’s only September 9th. We’ve seen last year’s goaltender Mike Smith bare his teeth every now and then in a typically Canadian market that can make an NHL player go squirrelly, with every radio Johnny being a certified goaltending expert. Is it much different out West than it is back at the Center of the Hockey Universe? “More similarities, to be honest,” he smiled. “It’s two amazing fan bases and the passion that the fans have in both cities. No traffic (here). An easy ride to the rink.” Campbell’s playoff resume in Toronto consists of two Game 7 losses: a 3-1 score to Montreal and Carey Price, 2-1 to Tampa and Andrei Vasilevskiy. He was uncharacteristically hard on himself after the Tampa loss, a trait that has probably weighed on him over the years, but Campbell’s performance was more “good enough, but not good enough” to overcome the Leafs’ suddenly low points in the annual their hump. But as the old saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And as Connor McDavid said this summer, “If you can be the starting point guard in Toronto, you can be the starting point guard anywhere.” Campbell vows he’s ready for another crack at a different sweater, and history — or at least, recent Oilers history — says Edmonton is as good a place as any to fix what went wrong in the East. “Getting this opportunity in Toronto to be the number one guy gave me the feeling I’ve been looking for my whole career,” Campbell said. “For Edmonton to believe in me and allow me to be here for five years and, you know, work with this team every day and try to accomplish some amazing things. “I’m so excited and can’t wait to get started.”
