While taking into account the form of the players in front of Jack Campbell, doubts are starting to creep in about the performances of the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender.
Ever since being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, life had been good for Jack Campbell. It seemed like he could do no wrong.
After showing some promise in six games during the 2019-20 campaign, Campbell really started to shine last season. He set an NHL record with 11 consecutive wins to open the season and had a career-best 2.15 goals against average (GAA) in 22 games.
The 30-year-old then continued his excellent play into this season, mentioned as a Vezina Trophy contender and deservedly being selected as an All-Star for the first time. Now though, for the first time, there is some doubt.
Following Wednesday night’s 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers, Campbell has allowed five goals in three of his previous four starts. As a consequence, January is on course to be his least productive month so far in 2021-22, with a GAA average of 3.30 and a save percentage of .893.
The question is, does this represent a genuine reason to be concerned about the goaltender’s form moving forward, or is it merely a short-term blip? As you would expect, there are several factors to consider in attempting to find an answer:
The weak link on the team
The first is an ongoing issue which most people connected to the Leafs are well aware of – the blue line is quite simply not good enough. Some will point to the defence being better compared to recent seasons, but how much of this has been down to (or covered up by) the overall play of Campbell?
The simple fact is that the Leafs have given up 3-1 leads in four of their last five games. The Rangers implosion was the worst example of this, and it is no coincidence it happened without Jake Muzzin, who is out with a concussion.
Regardless of Muzzin not playing up to his usual standard this season, his absence highlighted that he is still important to the defence. The pairing of first round draft picks Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin was a disaster against the Rangers, with them often looking out of their depth.
It also didn’t help that Justin Holl is currently in COVID-19 protocol. As much as he has his critics — and there are many — he still could have provided some benefit in the games against the St. Louis Blues and Rangers.
The point is there is only so much Campbell can do, when the players in front of him are not focusing or displaying more consistency. He’s bound to start making mistakes at some point, when he is continually being asked to bail out his teammates.
Too much reliance on Campbell
In this respect, it’s worth noting the recent game versus the Colorado Avalanche as an example. Purely from a statistical perspective, Campbell was spotted a 4-1 lead, before allowing four consecutive goals as the Leafs lost 5-4 in overtime.
However, if you delve deeper, the Port Huron, Michigan native actually played well while facing 49 shots on the night, against one of the top offences in the league. As per Mike Cranston of The Associated Press, Auston Matthews discussed his teammate’s performance:
"“Soup played unbelievable tonight,” Matthews said. “Honestly. I mean, some of the saves he made tonight, like one of them is going to be the save of the year. I think he did everything he could. That’s a really good team over there.”"
In terms of the Leafs relying too much on Campbell, this is almost literally the case. Through 37 games, he has started 28 times between the pipes and come in on another occasion.
Even when things were going well for Campbell, one of the few questions related to his ability to prove he can carry the load through a whole season. He has already set a personal season high for starts, with more than half of the regular season — and likely the playoffs — remaining.
Certainly you can understand the Leafs wanting to rely on their hot hand. This has also happened due to a combination of Petr Mrazek’s groin injury and nine games being postponed.
However, with the nine games being rescheduled and Mrazek now back, the Leafs will need to give Campbell more of a break regardless of his form. It will conceivably turn out to be to his benefit anyway, providing him with the opportunity to recharge and be re-energised come playoff time.
Conclusion
All factors considered, the majority of the evidence seems to indicate a temporary blip for Campbell, rather than a long-term issue. He is a talented and athletic goaltender, who is showing for the most part why he was selected 11th overall in the 2010 draft.
At the same time, it stands to reason that the former Los Angeles King will be watched with greater interest in the coming games. If his productivity doesn’t improve soon — fair or not — the doubts and concern will only grow.
It is worth noting that if nothing else, Campbell has still managed to go 4-1-1 during his slump in productivity during January. Of course, said productivity would benefit greatly if his teammates improved their defensive efforts; in recent outings they have seemed to take their foot off the pedal after building 3-1 leads.
In this respect, it would help the 2014 Calder Cup champion if the Leafs could find a way to reinforce their blue line ahead of the March 21 trade deadline. Recent speculation has linked them to the likes of Jakob Chychrun and John Klingberg.
Such potential trades will be influenced by what the Leafs are prepared to offer, along with how tight their salary cap situation is. However, they may not get a better opportunity to genuinely challenge for the Stanley Cup with this particular roster, especially when considering the number of UFAs and RFAs they will have at the conclusion of this season.
Overall, Campbell still looks like the type of goaltender who the Leafs can ride as they challenge for glory. However, he needs more help from those around him, or his recent lack of productivity could potentially become ongoing, mostly through no fault of his own.
Pending how much blame you place on the players in front of Campbell, what is your take on his recent play? Do you see this as just a temporary blip for the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie, or something more long-term to be concerned about? Let us know in the comments section below.