Leafs have already started negotiations with Campbell; apparently they're not going well
It would seem that the Leafs have wasted little time in opening discussions about a new contract with Jack Campbell. Just days after being eliminated in game 7, the Leafs, according to Elliotte Friedman, opened negotiations with Campbell presenting him with an offer that would pay him $2.75 million per season. It's unclear how many years the deal was for, but it shows that the Leafs believe he can be their guy going forward for the next few years at least.
The issue according to Friedman is that their offer is far below what Campbell is seeking and it "doesn't sound like Campbell is back". My guess would be that Campbell is looking for something in the 4-5/season range, or almost double what the Leafs initially offered. I think 5 million is too much for a guy that has a season and a half as a starter and will be 31 midway through next season. Over his 71 games the past 2 seasons Campbell has posted a 48-12-8 record with a save percentage of .917 with a GAA of 2.39 and 7 shutouts. Not terrible numbers by any means, but his health is of concern as he has yet to stay healthy for a full season.
The Leafs will likely be looking to move Mrazek who is currently making 3.8 million per season and hand the backup job to Erik Kallgren or Joseph Woll. Freeing up Mrazek's 3.8 million will go along way to keeping Campbell. I could see Campbell and the Leafs agreeing on a deal somewhere between 3.8 and 4.4 million/ season over 4 years as this will be Campbell's only big payday of his career.
Given his lack of total NHL games (142) since being drafted 12 years ago, I don't think Campbell has as much negotiating power as some might think. On top of that, he loves being here and the medical staff has done a tremendous job in keeping him healthy and managing his workload.
| POLL | ||
MAI 16 | 4289 ANSWERS Leafs have already started negotiations with Campbell; apparently they're not going well What's the max you'd pay Jack Campbell? | ||
| $3M | 1226 | 28.6 % |
| $4M | 2070 | 48.3 % |
| $5M | 748 | 17.4 % |
| $6M | 245 | 5.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
