Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has been criticized for every move he has ever made, even if, ultimately, it was the right decision at the time. The latest in a long line of mistakes, if you want to call them that, is letting All-Star goalie Jack Campbell walk in free agency to the Edmonton Oilers this offseason, despite his lofty contract demands - never mind the fact that he is a 30-year-old career backup who was hot and cold during his first season as a starting goalie.
One Twitter user in specific made an outrageous claim on Sunday that Jack Campbell is the best goalie in the entire Pacific Division, suggesting that it isn't even close. The Athletic's Thomas Drance just couldn't help himself, shutting down the claim immediately by showing the numbers behind the curtain, proving that it is indeed closer than the Twitter user had claimed, while also showing that, even though it's close, Campbell does not top the list.
Drance wasn't alone in wanting to debunk the very bold statement, as fellow writers from The Athletic, Jesse Granger and Scott Wheeler also got involved in the discussion.
Now Jack Campbell isn't a bad goaltender by any stretch of the imagination. He had some great moments with the Buds, even being in the Vezina Trophy talks in mid December last season. This shows he does have potential to be a starter for the right team. However, the Oilers however may not be that team.
At the end of the day Soup is a solid goalie and a great pick up for the Oilers to replace a departing Mikko Koskinen and retiring Mike Smith, though he did struggle behind a Leafs defense which is considerably better than the Oilers' was last season. With the Oilers leaning on Campbell to play likely more than 50 games, a feat he has yet to do in his NHL career, it could show that Campbell may not be the goalie the Oilers were hoping for when they signed the 30-year-old to a $25M deal on July 13th. This one may prove to have been wishful thinking by the Oilers more than anything else.
