Newly released data shows the vast difference between current Leaf Matt Murray and former Leaf Jack Campbell
Heading into this summer, the opinions were very split on what the Leafs should do in goal. The vast majority knew that Petr Mrazek's time in Toronto was likely coming to an end, but it wasn't so cut-and-dry for Jack Campbell, who had endeared himself to the fanbase with stretches of stellar play and his winning personality.
When the Leafs traded Mrazek at the draft and then turned around and acquired Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators at 25% retained (also receiving a pair of draft picks as compensation for taking on Murray's deal), there was still a great deal of curiosity as to how they'd proceed from there on July 13th. As we now know, they allowed Campbell to walk and signed Ilya Samsonov for a fraction of the price ($1.8Mx1 vs $5Mx5).
Now, as we have a better idea of how each player has fit in with their new team, it's abundantly clear that Murray is having a much stronger season by comparison. But how do their overall contracts measure up? Well, Murray is also winning in that category.
The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn released his new player cards on Monday, which break down a player's performance and weigh it against their current contract, revealing either a positive or negative value. According to Dom's model, Murray's value to the Leafs not only exceeds the $4.7M that they're paying him - he's actually providing them with goaltending $1.3M above his cap hit. Meanwhile, Campbell is worth -$2.9M to his team, which would indicate that he doesn't belong in the NHL so far this season.
Obviously, it goes without saying that there are flaws in every model, so perhaps Campbell does some things really well that the model doesn't grade very high - and just because he has started so rough doesn't necessarily mean he'll end so rough. Still, there's no denying that Campbell has had a nightmarish start to his career as an Oiler. His 7-6-0 record, his 4.12 GAA and his .872 SV% are all evidence of that.
As for Murray, we've seen how good he looks first-hand in his 10-game run as a Leaf, posting a 7-1-2 record to go along with a 2.50 GAA and a .926 SV%. The eye test hasn't failed us. Murray has played some exceptional hockey this season for the Leafs.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 12 | 211 ANSWERS Newly released data shows the vast difference between current Leaf Matt Murray and former Leaf Jack Campbell If Campbell was still a Leaf, would his numbers be closer to Matt Murray's? | ||
| Yes, without question | 63 | 29.9 % |
| No, his numbers were bad last year too | 148 | 70.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
