Can The Maple Leafs Afford To Keep Jack Campbell?
Jack Campbell has gone from stud prospect, to total bum, to important back up, to easily replaceable, to irreplaceable? All caught up? Good.
Kyle Dubas has made his fair share of bone headed decisions but the decision to trade for Campbell is one to mark in the win column. Campbell has been nothing short of sensational for Toronto. The problem is now the unsung hero has officially (or will soon) become expensive.
The Leafs have more cap issues than you can shake a stick at. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares each make an ungodly amount of money. Morgan Reilly just also got an extension worth a pretty penny. William Nylander, Jake Muzzin, and TJ Brodie also make at least $5 AAV. There isn’t a lot of money left on the table here.
Worse yet, Toronto already committed $3.5 million per year to Petr Mrazek. Probably because they didn’t fully trust Campbell’s 2020-21 season as being more than a fluke. News Flash: Jack Campbell rocks and this is now more than a flash in the pan.
Campbell, 29, has a 1.88 goals allowed per game average and save percentage of .936 through ten games. If you’re not taking Campbell seriously at this point after what he showed last year, you’re just blind at this point. Maybe Campbell was just a late bloomer. The Dallas Stars did pull the trigger on Campbell with the 11th overall pick in 2010. Some of us peak when we hit age 29, I would know ;).
Oddly enough, there is already something the Leafs can use as a negotiating point. The Kings traded Campbell away because they believed Cal Petersen was ready to take over the back up job to Jonathan Quick. Turns out, Petersen is now the Kings starting netminder and has already inked a contract extension for three years for a total of $15 just prior to the start of the season.
On the surface, that seems like a fair deal and maybe one the Leafs can sneak under the cap somehow. Then again, Campbell has outperformed that number and probably can seek a healthier number on the open number. Then again, the track record is not long here. The last thing you want is to get stuck with a pumpkin who reverts to his old form as he ages into his 30’s.
I don’t envy Kyle Dubas making the call here. With the limited number of cap space the Leafs already have, he can’t afford to botch this. Dubas also can’t afford to let Campbell walk because there is quite literally no capable replacement to found anywhere on the roster. It’s why they traded for Campbell in the first place. Good luck.
The contract status of Jack Campbell is probably the number one storyline for the Maple Leafs moving forward (outside of the fact that there is a better chance hell freezes over than the Maple Leafs do of winning a first round playoff series).
