Campbell had to go to the farm, Vejmelka opens the door to Edmonton

Twenty-seven-year-old Czech national NHL goalie Karel Vejmelka is now often mentioned in the context of his move from Arizona to Edmonton. There was already a lot of talk about it last season, but this trade didn’t materialize.

Is now the right time for Karel Vejmelka, the excellent goalie of Slavia Třebíč, Pardubice or Brno Kometa, who is in his third year in the NHL and in his first year has impressed the NHL with his great saves and statistical numbers in the below-average Arizona, to move to another NHL team?

Right after his first season there was talk of a trade to a better team. Karel Vejmelka became the number one goalie for the Coyotes after his arrival and he played that role for two years. It was expected that this year would be no different, but the preparation was not nearly as dazzling. That’s why at the start of the season, both Vejmelka and Canadian Connor Ingram were on the same starting line.

In the season opener, that was indeed the case, with Vejmelka and Ingram splitting the games evenly. The turning point came in late November when Arizona welcomed St. Louis home. Vejmelka started in goal and Arizona led 3:2 after the first period. At the start of the second period, Arizona went on a five-on-four power play and that’s where the fateful turning point for Vejmelka in Arizona came.

During the Coyotes power play, Vejmelka got two goals and had to give up his spot in the Arizona net to Ingram. He finished this game with a loss. But after this game Arizona had a streak of five wins in a row and of course Ingram was in the crease for all of them. He even kept two clean sheets against Washington and against Las Vegas, making Karl the number two goalie. Vejmelko was not helped by the losing streak in early December, when the Coyotes lost four games in a row, but Karel didn’t get a chance to prove himself in the crease.

At this point, everyone knew who Arizona was counting on in goal this year. Arizona has made it clear that they will continue to rely primarily on Canadian Ingram and would like to keep Vejmelka as a great number two. However, an excellent goalie like Vejmelka won’t want to settle for that when his name resonates with bigger clubs.

Three NHL clubs in particular – Edmonton, Carolina and San Jose – have inquired directly about Vejmelka. San Jose is absolutely out of the question in this case. The situation he is in would be a classic stepping from the mud into the puddle. San Jose is predicted by American experts to struggle in this situation for another four to five years. So given Vejmelka’s age (27), this move is not out of the question.

So there are only three options for Vejmelka now – Oilers, Hurricanes and Coyotes. So, considering where their goaltending problems are, the best options are Carolina or staying with the Coyotes. Fans would probably prefer to see him in Edmonton. Carolina might also like Vejmelka, as he would be reunited with his friend Martin Nečas, who he grew up with at the ice rink in Trebic.

Carolina now has Andersen injured for a long time, but still has decent goaltending, even with the future prospects of Kochetkov in particular. So this move would seem like a good buddy move, but in terms of workload, it could be the same for Karel Vejmelka as it is now in Arizona, if not worse. So the next candidate is staying with the Coyotes. Arizona is playing really well this season and is in eighth place in the Western Conference, guaranteeing a playoff spot.

It hasn’t been in that situation for many years, so this year there is a very real chance for the Arizona Coyotes to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The question is rather, will Karel Vejmelka play an important role in it? Arizona has made it clear throughout this season that they will be betting on Ingram, even in very adverse conditions. Karel has simply lost his position as the unshakable number one on the Coyotes.

And finally, we have Edmonton. A trade to the Oilers would make a lot of sense for Vejmelka. The Oilers are a huge brand and management has arguably the best pairing in the NHL in years. So from that perspective, it baffles me why management didn’t address the goaltending situation years ago and just foolishly thought they could win by just having those two players (McDavid – Draisaitl) on the team.

Now it seems that management is finally starting to address the goaltending issue, but it took a long time. Edmonton’s goalie pair (Skinner- Campbell) looks like the worst goalie pairing ever. The Oilers have often been able to score six or seven goals in games, yet still manage to lose those games. It was felt by the players themselves that this goaltending duo just wasn’t up to the best units in the NHL.

For years, nothing of any consequence happened in Edmonton. This year, Draisaitl couldn’t take it anymore and spoke openly to the press about their goaltending. Apparently, it was only at this urging that the management ran out of patience and sent Jack Campbell to the farm with his good salary of $5 million without a second thought.

Management needs to resolve this situation urgently, as Draisaitl is only under contract until the 2024/25 season and McDavid only one year longer. Therefore, there is a very real possibility that these stars could leave the Oilers if nothing drastic happens. Well, the chance for Karel Vejmelka is coming right now. For Karl, the door is opening for the Oilers.

Plus, with his salary of “only” $2.7 million, he would take up almost no cap space in the Oilers salary cap and would come in for a really quality goaltending job for “not much money”. There is a lot of interest in Czech goalies in the NHL right now and Mrazek is having a great season in Chicago. So sending Campbell to the farm could stir up a goaltending shuffle in the NHL.

And the Oilers especially need quality in the crease, and with the arrival of Karel Vejmelka, they could get that. Will the fans of Karel Vejmelka get the coveted trade?

Source: Eliteprospects, NHL