Leafs reporter confirms that Campbell and the Leafs are talking and there has been some progress
Jack Campbell is set to hit the free-agent market for the first time in his NHL career this summer. The Port Huron, Michigan native was acquired by the Leafs from the LA Kings in early 2020. Almost from the very beginning he had become a fan favourite, due to his calm demeanor and sound play. Once he took the starting job from Frederik Andersen during the 2020-21 season, the SOUUUUP chants were born.
Since then Campbell hasn't looked back, putting up decent numbers over the course of the 2021-22 season, going 31-9-6 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. His final numbers, though, were not a good indicator of the type of season he had, looking very strong to start before falling off the wagon, fighting through a difficult injury and cleaning his game up toward the end of the season.
If he makes it to free agency, Campbell will be a highly-sought after goaltender, as teams will be looking for help in between the pipes. Over the last couple of weeks Campbell has been linked to the New Jersey Devils, Toronto's Atlantic Division rival, the Buffalo Sabres and there have even been some murmurs from out west that the Oilers may be in the mix if he remains un-signed past July 13th.
Just when it seemed like talks between Campbell and the Leafs were going nowhere, a report on their situation surfaced on Wednesday from The Athletic's Jonas Siegel, who stated that contract extension talks between Campbell and the Leafs have been progressing slowly. This will be something to keep an eye on as NHL free agency comes closer.
If the two sides are talking, that's actually wonderful news, as it means that the Leafs may have done some homework on who might be available on the goalie market via trade and who might be headed to free agency and perhaps they weren't as fond of their other options as they are of Jack Campbell.
