Sheldon Keefe critical of Jack Campbell after loss; The Leafs have some big decisions looming
At large, the 2021-22 season has been a spectacular one for Leafs netminder Jack Campbell. What has not been spectacular however, is his last four-game stretch - and while it's unclear what has caused the Campbell's recent struggles, even head coach Sheldon Keefe has noticed that he's not playing his game.
"He's not playing to the same level, I think that's obvious," said Keefe following a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday evening.
While Campbell owns a 2-1-1 record, collecting points in 3 of 4 games over that span, the method in which the Leafs are winning these games is suspect for a team and a coach who are preaching "Stanley Cup habits". Over his last 4 games, Campbell has allowed 18 goals over his last 4 starts and hasn't posted a save percentage above .912 since January 5th against the Edmonton Oilers.
I think anyone with their finger on the pulse knows what the main issue probably is. Campbell has never been a starting goaltender in his NHL career. The 30-year-old has appeared in 29 games for the Leafs so far this season, which is just two games back of his previous season-high of 31 games back in 2018-19, as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.
The problem is, the 31 games that Campbell played in 2018-19 were spread over the course of an entire season. This season, Campbell has started all but 8 games for the Buds. Simply put, he needs some help.
When the Leafs signed UFA goaltender Petr Mrazek to a 3-year deal worth $3.8M per season, I think it's safe to suggest that they believed that they had found themselves a tandem who would come close to splitting the season down the middle. With Mrazek having started just 4 games for the Leafs and looking lost most of the time, he doesn't exactly give the coaching staff a lot of confidence.
Sheldon Keefe has said on multiple occasions, and re-affirmed recently, that the goal for the Leafs during the regular season is to win the Atlantic Division. As it stands, with 51 points in 37 games, they're well back of both Florida (57) and Tampa (59). The Leafs have some games in hand, but those only matter if they win.
The club has a couple of options available if they're losing faith in Petr Mrazek. The first option, give him a string of games to find his groove at the potential cost of some points in the standings if he doesn't figure it out.
The second option, they can look to move him out either in a package or by himself in a deal to secure a veteran backup goaltender who understands the assignment and can execute it.
The third option, they can continue to ride Jack Campbell into the ground and hope that he can find his way back to playing like a Vezina caliber goaltender.. but this option doesn't get Jack a lot of rest before the postseason.
Ultimately, this is not a great position for the Leafs to be in at this point. At the midway mark, teams are supposed to be assessing their needs and scouring the trade market for potential fits at the deadline. The Leafs have been in the market for a top-six forward since before the season began. They also need a right-shot defenseman who can kill penalties. If they also need to add a more capable goaltender into the mix, this could become a situation where they pick and choose which issue to address and which hole to leave unplugged.
The Leafs have some tough decisions ahead. Oh, what I would give to be a fly on the wall in any meetings between head coach Sheldon Keefe and GM Kyle Dubas.
