Though he never actually appeared in a game for the Red Wings, Jack Campbell signed a contract with the Red Wings two years ago, and it appears that will be the last contract the former Dallas Stars draft pick signed as a player.
The 34 year old netminder announced his retirement on social media today, as well as his decision to transition into coaching. Campbell’s history with the Red Wings wasn’t extensive, as in his time with the organization he only appeared in 14 regular season games for their AHL affiliate before entering the NHL Player Assistance program.
He did, however, see action in two games during Grand Rapids’ short playoff run that year.
There would have been room for that kind of performance on last year’s Griffins team. Newcomer Michal Postava overtook Sebastian Cossa’s spot in the organization and supplanted him for the entire playoff run.
The Red Wings certainly showed a lot of faith that Postava would be the better netminder of the future by trading away Cossa at this year’s draft. Plus, with the Red Wings so far only signing Daniil Tarasov, the young Czech netminder has plenty of opportunity to earn starts behind John Gibson in the coming year.
However, whether or not the 24 year old will be ready for the opportunity, or may suffer a sophomore slump in his second North American season is anyone’s guess before the season actually starts. Of course, the Red Wings and their fans will also have to keep in mind Trey Augustine, as the MSU product makes his pro debut for the Griffins this fall.
Red Wings Extra:
New Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Marcus Crawford shouldn’t be an unfamiliar face to longtime fans of the organization. However, the route he’s taken to get back to Grand Rapids is more circuitous than most.
The now 29-year-old defenseman has spent the majority of his career since turning pro in the North American professional leagues in the ECHL aside from an 8 game debut stint with the Griffins in 2018. However, Crawford also played internationally for two seasons in the British EIHL for the Cardiff Devils, averaging just over a point per game per season between 2022 and 2024.
The Devils won the EIHF championship this past year.
In Case You Missed It
Yesterday’s column on a key area of improvement for Detroit’s next general manager.
The Red Wings could learn from Chris Ilitch’s other team rectifying their mistakes at the GM position.
Around Hockey Now:
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski’s analysis of the Penguins prospect pool.
Philadelphia Hockey Now: Jamie Drysdale extended with the Flyers in a win-win move for the player and organization.
San Jose Hockey Now: Sheng Peng on why scouts believe this year’s Shark’s blueline is superior to the group they fielded last year.