Jack Campbell raves about his time in Toronto to the Edmonton Media
Jack Campbell endeared himself to not only his teammates, but to Leafs Nation during his brief time in Toronto. He became one of the most beloved players on the team in such a short period of time and as sad as Leaf fans were to see him go, the risks associated with the long-term deal he wanted outweighed the reward. No one hates Campbell for leaving for Edmonton to secure a 5-year, $25M deal on what will be his only big contract of his career. It's something a lot of us would do if we had the opportunity and many of us understand why Campbell made the decision he did.
Campbell was an early candidate for the Vezina last season, starting off with a ridiculous .942 save percentage, but once the calendar turned to 2022, he really began to falter. Through his final 29 games of the season, he was only able to post a .894 save percentage, some of which can be attributed to the rib injury that caused him to miss most of March. When he returned, he was unable to regain his consistent form from the beginning of the season, having a great game, then an average game and followed, sometimes, by an outright bad game. He did give the Leafs a fighting chance against Tampa in the playoffs though, giving them timely saves and helping them battle back in games where they were trailing.
Campbell spoke with the Edmonton media yesterday and reflected on his time in Toronto saying, "Getting that opportunity in Toronto to be the number one guy just gave me the feeling that I was looking for my whole career. I learned a lot, gone through a lot of adversity, but I think playing in Toronto (and elsewhere) have prepared me for this moment." Campbell is a very late bloomer in terms of landing a starting roll at the age of 28, when he was traded to Toronto along with Jake Muzzin.
Campbell went on to say, "I just knew all along I could be a number one goalie. It's not just being a number one goalie, my goal is to be the best I can be and win a Stanley Cup and continue from there."
Leaf fans will have to wait until the middle of March before they can give thanks to Campbell when the Oilers make their only visit to Toronto on the 11th. You can be sure the building will echo with "SOOOOUUUPPPPP" chants one final time followed by a salute and a smile from Jack.
| POLL | ||
10 SEPTEMBRE | 495 ANSWERS Jack Campbell raves about his time in Toronto to the Edmonton Media Did the Leafs make a mistake by letting Campbell walk in free agency? | ||
| Yes | 132 | 26.7 % |
| No | 273 | 55.2 % |
| We'll see | 90 | 18.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
