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Jack Campbell’s New Contract Could Mean Leap To NHL

By Josh Clark

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The Dallas Stars spent yesterday afternoon locking up two pieces of their future. This came off the heels of their first offseason move that happened on Monday when they handed a two-year contract extension to rookie defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Dallas Stars came to terms with growing rookie defenseman Patrik Nemeth on a two-year extension. The majority of “Dallas” Stars fans focused on the future of #37 and how he would end up fitting in on the Stars roster come next year. Nemeth is a big piece of the future, no doubt.

But what many people, including a few sports apps, forgot to mention was the other contract extended today. That was the contract of Jack Campbell.

Jack Campbell, 23, is the definition of a homegrown player. After being drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 1st round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, he’s been the shadowed prodigy ever since. The guy that everyone was expecting to become the Dallas Stars’ number one goalie in a matter of a couple of seasons is still stuck in the AHL with little hope of moving up anytime soon.

But the American goaltender received a one-year extension to his current contract, with AHL and NHL salaries intact. So, with a new deal instead of just dropping him into free agency, is this a signal that Jim Nill is finally ready to bring him up as a full-time NHL goaltender?

This is a tough scenario to analyze, so let’s break it down piece by piece.

First off, Campbell has spent four seasons in the AHL. But it’s been a tough four years. With a mass of injuries intertwined in his career, Campbell has yet to be a proven starter in a given season. This past season, Campbell participated in 35 games, posting a record of 14-14-0, along with a save percentage of .907 and a goals against average of 3.03. These numbers aren’t spectacular, and simply border along average.

That alone may be enough to bury Campbell’s chances at least for this season. But there is a bright side. For one, Campbell knows the game well. He’s been tried through four years in the AHL, along with one NHL game. He knows his strengths, knows his weaknesses, and knows where he must improve.

This guy never quits, no matter what the obstacle. He’s been held back from consistent NHL play up until now, yet he continues to re-sign and ante up for another year of AHL play, with little hope for an NHL chance. Dallas continues to bring in new goaltending talent to test out that never ends up working, but they always find a way to cut him just short. Yet he’s just fine with that. He also finished the season by winning 11 of his final 14 games, which greatly helped the Texas Stars snag a playoff spot.

Honestly, Jack Campbell may be just what the Dallas Stars need. But it’s probably not going to happen this season. As much as we may want it to, he probably needs to take this one year to put on an injury-free, stellar performance for the organization, one that will make them seem ludicrous to NOT call him up.

Next: Three Possible Trade Destinations If Kari Lehtonen Is Dealt

Some have suggested that the Stars may be calling up Jack Campbell, trading Kari Lehtonen, and letting Jhonas Enroth move on. If Lehtonen weren’t traded for a goaltender such as Ottawa’s Robin Lehner or Craig Anderson, the Stars would then make a valiant push to sign one of the skilled goalies in the free agent pool. This could very well happen, and it would all work out rather well. But this move is a pretty big one, and would have probably already started developing by now.

But the NHL is strange, and we should always expect the unexpected. Nevertheless, Jack Campbell has a bright future in this organization. As long as he stays injury-free and continues to produce, his path to the NHL should be short and sweet.

Next: Stars Continue To Make Moves, Re-sign Patrik Nemeth And Jack Campbell

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