Insider reveals the salary ask of Jack Campbell and his reps
A recent report from The Athletic had suggested that the New Jersey Devils could be preparing an offer for Leafs goaltender and pending UFA Jack Campbell, if Campbell makes it to free agency on July 13th. This is a tad alarming for the Leafs, who are believed to have offered Campbell a multi-year contract extension that carried a $2.75M AAV prior to the start of this season. The offer was reportedly rejected, with the Campbell camp coming back with a counter with a very big number. The exact amount varied, based on the various outlets who were reporting it, but now we have some clarification on how much it may actually have been.
Per NHL Insider Chris Johnston during an appearance on TSN1050 on Tuesday, Campbell's camp is seeking a $5M AAV and he does not believe the Leafs are willing to go that high. As a result, Johnston revealed that he thinks the Leafs could enter the summer looking for two new goaltenders.
If Campbell's AAV is almost twice what the Leafs are offering, I think we should probably begin preparing for the scenario that Soupy's days in Toronto are numbered. Campbell is beloved by the fanbase, his teammates and we have heard both Sheldon Keefe and Kyle Dubas speak in the past about how important Campbell has been to the success of the team this year, slump aside.
That said, there's no way the Leafs can justify paying Campbell $5M per season with guys like Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin and Juuse Saros making that type of money. Campbell is certainly at least one full tier below these guys, but unfortunately for the Buds, since Petr Mrazek makes $3.8M per season, it's given the Campbell camp plenty of ammunition to seek a much higher deal during contract negotiations.
