Three Unexpected 2022-23 NHL Trade Possibilities

These three competitors may have never thought they would be the victim of trade rumors, but such is life in the NHL. Performance is key, and if you fail to perform, you may get traded.

Here's three such players who are wondering about their future.

Jack Campbell Let's face it, the Edmonton Oilers thought that they had a huge void between the pipes and went after Campbell to fill the void.

Thus far that hasn't worked out too well. He has a 6-4 record with a dismal 4.27 GAA and an even worse .873 save percentage.

So, since alternating goalies hasn't seemed to work, it appears that Stuart Skinner who has only appeared in 21 NHL games, may get the nod.

Campbell is signed through the 2026-27 season at a $5 million AAV. He holds a 10-team no trade clause. It's not certain that if the Oilers are considering trading him what they could get in return. Still, Campbell's head has to be spinning after thinking he would be the #1 goalie in Edmonton.

While the Oilers do not possess the best defense in the NHL, (ranked 28th with 3.63 goals allowed per game) it seems strange that Skinner's numbers are way better than Campbell's.

Perhaps starting Skinner for now will get Campbell out of his funk and motivate him to improve. Time will tell.

Ryan O'Reilly The unexpected poor performance of the St. Louis Blues this new season has people talking. O'Reilly has been his own best critic of his poor play. Not many NHL players call themselves out.

He only has tallied three goals, one assist in 13 games. He is dead last on the team at the center-ice position. Jordan Kyrou has only four goals, one assist. Ivan Barbashev (who has been in trade rumors) has just two goals, three assists.

It could be that the Blues are getting out of their doldrums as they have won their last two games after skidding to eight straight losses.

Whether O'Reilly's play improves or not may determine if he goes on the trading block. In his five years in St. Louis he has collected 88 goals, 166 assists for 254 points. He could just be in an early-season slump, but if he doesn't snap out of it he could be packing his bags.

Kasperi Kapanen The speedy winger has not lived up to his $3.2 million two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins as of yet. It seems that management is losing patience and has made it known that Kaspanen can be had for the right return.

He has been listed as a healthy scratch to try to ignite the type of play that the Pens expected out of him when they traded for him with the Maple Leafs.

At this point with Kaspanen's below standard effort, the Pittsburgh club may want to retrieve that cap space and use it to improve their chances. The Penguins sit seventh in the Metro Division considerably lower than expectations.

Perhaps a new start with another team may be the best solution for both the Penguins and Kaspanen.