A surprising detail about talks between Jack Campbell and the Leafs is revealed
With Jack Campbell expected to depart Toronto to sign a 5-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, ESPN's Emily Kaplan has reported something quite interesting about the Leafs/Campbell negotiations - or rather, a lack thereof.
Kaplan revealed early Wednesday morning that while the Leafs and Campbell had certainly held talks in recent weeks, there was never an actual offer extended by the Leafs to Campbell, making it abundantly clear that the Leafs never viewed him as an option for next season, likely due to the lofty contract demands.
Kaplan also clarified in a subsequent tweet that the report was strictly in relation to this year's negotiations. Campbell did receive an offer from the Leafs prior to the start of last season, which he reportedly declined.
Campbell went 31-9-6 for the Leafs last season, posting a 2.64 GAA and a .914 sv%, though those numbers don't tell the whole story. Campbell posted above average numbers in October, elite numbers in November, but then had a very pedestrian December, an abysmal January, February and March where he carried a sv% well below the .900 mark before pulling it together at the end of the season and coasting to a .915 sv% in April.
With Campbell's most consistent stretch of the season being the stretch where he absolutely imploded, it couldn't have instilled much confidence in the management group, who instead pursued a deal for two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray, who comes in at less than what Campbell will make and on a much shorter term than his 30-year-old counterpart.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 13 | 308 ANSWERS A surprising detail about talks between Jack Campbell and the Leafs is revealed Was not submitting an offer to Campbell a bad idea for the Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 116 | 37.7 % |
| No | 129 | 41.9 % |
| I'm interested in seeing what Murray can do | 63 | 20.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
