Jack Campbell called time on his career at the age of 34 on 19 July 2026. During his 8 NHL seasons he played in 285 games for the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. His final NHL game was in 2023-24. Never has a professional path seen such a fluctuation. The goaltender was chosen overall eleventh, was regarded as a failure for most of 10 years, became a truly good starting goaltender in Toronto, signed a 25 million dollar deal, only to become a cap-whore and buy out of the deal two years later. That is all of it.
Jack Campbell at a Glance:
Career summary, current as of September 2026.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Status | Retired. He announced it on 19 July 2026 |
| Age at retirement | 34 |
| Position | Goaltender |
| NHL seasons | Eight |
| Nickname | Soup |
| Drafted | 11th overall in 2010, by the Dallas Stars. Exceptionally high for a goaltender |
| NHL teams | Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers |
| Last NHL appearance | 2023-24, with Edmonton |
| Best season | 2020-21 with Toronto: 17-3-2, a 2.15 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage |
| Biggest contract | Five years and 25 million dollars with Edmonton, signed 13 July 2022 |
| How it ended there | Edmonton bought out the final three years in June 2024 |
| Final contract | One year at 775,000 dollars with Detroit, signed 1 July 2024. He never played an NHL game for them |
| Not to be confused with | Jack Campbell the NFL linebacker, an All-Pro with the Detroit Lions |
The Career, Start to Finish:
Every significant stage, in order.
| When | What happened | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Drafted 11th overall | Dallas took him in the first round, a rare position for a goaltender, after he backstopped the United States to World Junior gold |
| 2010s | The long road | Years of development in the minors, injuries and uncertainty. The workhorse projection did not arrive on schedule |
| Los Angeles | Finally established | He emerged as a dependable NHL backup with the Kings, which was the first evidence the career would work at all |
| February 2020 | Traded to Toronto | The move that changed everything for him |
| 2020-21 | The breakout | 17-3-2 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 22 starts, taking the starting job during Frederik Andersen’s injury |
| July 2022 | Signed with Edmonton | Five years, 25 million dollars, brought in to settle a goaltending position that had troubled the club for years |
| 2022-23 | It went wrong | A 3.41 goals-against average and .888 save percentage across 36 games. He was outplayed by Stuart Skinner |
| 2023-24 | Waived | 1-4-0 with a 4.50 goals-against average in five games before being placed on waivers and assigned to the AHL |
| June 2024 | Bought out | Edmonton bought out the final three years of the contract |
| July 2024 | Signed in Detroit | A one-year deal worth 775,000 dollars. He played for Grand Rapids in the AHL and never appeared for the Red Wings |
| During that season | Player assistance programme | He stepped away from the club to receive care through the NHL and NHLPA player assistance programme |
| 19 July 2026 | Retired | Announced after eight NHL seasons, at 34 |
The Long Wait:
Dallas picked Campbell 11 th overall in 2010an incredibly bold move for any goaltender. Notoriously unpredictable, goaltenders are seldom picked that high. The hope was Campbell would be a franchise backup at leastand perhaps more. What happened next was almost a decade of not getting there. It took longer to develop than anyone expected, injuries trailed it and for years he appeared to be the poster child for reasons not to take goaltenders in the first round.
It was L. A. that ultimately led him to become an NHL goaltendera really good, solid backup.. That’s scarcely a glowing projection of a breakthrough, but for a player whose career had been on hold it was the watershed that made all that followed possible.
Toronto, and the Season It All Worked:
They got him in February 2020 when the Maple Leafs signed him. If 2020-21 brought everything together, that was the season. In the absence of Frederik Andersen, Campbell assumed the starting role and went 17-3-2 in 22 starts with a 2.15 GAA and a.921 SV%. It was the best goaltending Toronto had received in years, it all but spelled the end of Frederik Andersen’s tenure there and made Campbell one of the hottest commodities on the market.
That popularity was not just due to the actual number of people who followed him. “He was one of the truly popular men in the game, liked by teammates and opponents alike, by staff, by everyone. No naming on a door would have suggested the nickname ‘Soup’ might not have followed him here.”
Edmonton, and the Contract:
On 13 July 2022 the Oilers signed him to a five-year deal worth 25million dollars. It made sense theoretically. Edmonton had the best forward in the world and a goaltend position that had dragged them down for years, and Campbell was coming off two quality seasons.
It failed. During 2022-23, he maintained a 3.41 goals-against average and a.888 save percentage over 36 games, yet was overshadowed by rookie, Stuart Skinner. The next season started 1-4-0 with a 4.50 goal-against average in five games, and Edmonton waived him. He was sent down after clearing waivers, to the Bakersfield in the American Hockey League.
The numbers behind the rise and fall.
| Season or spell | GAA | Save % | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21, Toronto | 2.15 | 0.921 | 17-3-2 in 22 starts |
| Edmonton, all 41 games | 3.53 | 0.886 | 22-13-4 with one shutout |
| 2022-23, Edmonton | 3.41 | 0.888 | 36 games |
| 2023-24, Edmonton | 4.50 | 0.873 | 1-4-0 in five games |
| 2023-24, AHL Bakersfield | 2.63 | 0.918 | 18-13-1 with three shutouts in 33 games |
The one to stop and dwell on is the last one. Where that same season at the AHL level, Campbell still put in decent numbers, going 18-13-1 with a 2.63 goals-against average, a.918 save percentage and three shutouts in 33 appearances. Those are respectable numbers. Whatever the problem was at the NHL level, it wasn’t a goaltender who had ‘lost it’.During his entire Edmonton career he posted a record of 22-13-4 with a 3.53 GAA a.886 SV% in 41 games. The Oilers bought out the final three years of the contract in June 2024.
Detroit, and Stepping Away:
Campbell signed a 1-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on 1 July 2024 valued at 775,000 dollars. Though the sum was close to the league minimum rather than 25 million, the contract came one season after Campbell signed a (then) minimal deal and joined an overcrowded goaltending brigade, playing the 2004/05 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. Campbell played no NHL games during this contract.
During that season he did leave the team temporarily to seek help through the NHL and theNHLPAplayer assistance programme, a joint league/union intervention that brings treatment services (the programme is of course not transparent about what any one player is being treated for, and neither shall we). All that is on record is that he entered the programme, that the league announced it, and that he was away from the team while he sought such help. He became a free agent on the free transition when his contract expired and was not re-signed he retired in July 2026.
What His Career Actually Says:
One could be excused for including Campbell on a list of cautionary tales about giving your goaltenders big paychecks, and even the Edmonton agreement Definitely fits firmly in that list. The more compelling reading is about how tight the boundaries are on this position. The same goaltender, in a year and a half, was a.921 in Toronto and an.873 in Edmonton, before returning to a.918 in the American Hockey League. Goaltending is the most unpredictable position in professional sport; the difference between great and unplayable is far thinner and more bizarre than anything elsewhere in the game.
Then he got there at all, which for a long time, had felt improbable. Eight NHL seasons; a World Junior gold medal; a season with real number one responsibility at an Original Six team; a reputation as one of the most decent people in the game. That’s a career. Just not the career eleven spots higher up the draft order suggested.
Final Take:
Jack Campbell hung them up in July 2026, after 8 seasons in the NHL. The high was the 2020-21 campaign in Toronto and the low wasYear 2 in Edmonton, with barely more than two years separating the two. Whatever else you take away from the contract, remember the AHL numbers from the season of his suspension. The ability hadn’t gone anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is Jack Campbell still playing in the NHL?
No. He retired from professional hockey on 19 July 2026, at 34, after eight NHL seasons. His last NHL appearance was in 2023-24 with Edmonton.
What teams did Jack Campbell play for?
The Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2024 but never played an NHL game for them.
Why did Jack Campbell retire?
He announced his retirement in July 2026 after a season in the AHL and a year as a free agent without signing. He had not played in the NHL since 2023-24.
What happened to Jack Campbell in Edmonton?
He signed a five-year, 25 million dollar contract in July 2022 and struggled, posting an .888 save percentage in his first season and a .873 across five games in his second before being waived. Edmonton bought out the final three years in June 2024.
How good was Jack Campbell at his best?
Very. In 2020-21 with Toronto he went 17-3-2 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage across 22 starts.
Where was Jack Campbell drafted?
Eleventh overall by the Dallas Stars in 2010, unusually high for a goaltender.
Is Jack Campbell the goalie the same as the Detroit Lions player?
No. They are two different people. Jack Campbell the NFL linebacker plays for the Detroit Lions and was named first-team All-Pro in 2025. Jack Campbell the goaltender retired from hockey in 2026.
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