Jack Campbell being linked to one of the Maple Leafs biggest rivals

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Matt Garland
June 7, 2022 (4:37 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Jack Campbell appear to be at a standstill in negations for his next contract. According to Chris Johnston of TSN, Campbell's camp is looking for a 3 year deal worth north of $5,000,000 a season, which Johnston says may be too rich for the Leafs to pay.

An Eastern Conference rival is waiting in the wings to sign Campbell if he's interested. The Buffalo Sabres will be in the market for two new goalies as both of last year's netminders are UFAs. 41 year old, Craig Anderson and journeyman goalie Dustin Tokarski both posted a save percentage under .900 and a GAA over 3.00 this past season. Those numbers aren't going to get the Sabres into the playoffs anytime soon.

No wonder Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams is exploring his options. Campbell's reported asking price of $5,000,000 a season is a number the Sabres can afford. According to CapFriendly Buffalo will have approximately $43,000,000 in cap space with only pending RFA Victor Olofsson to sign.

Campbell just finished a fantastic season. His 47 starts marked a career-high. And his 31-9-6 record showed he's more than capable of becoming a long-term solution either in Buffalo or another city.

He allowed just 2.64 goals per game and compiled a 0.914 save percentage. A far cry above what Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski brought.

Campbell is from Port Huron, MI which is less than a four hour drive from Buffalo. Looking at Buffalo's roster unless they do something special this offseason they could be in for another losing season. Does Campell prioritize winning or money? He has signed 5 contracts worth a total value of $10,725,000 over a career that spans 7 seasons. His last contract was a 2 year deal worth $3,300,000.

This will be Campbell's first opportunity to make some big money and you can't fault him for that. It will be hard not to root for Soup. He seems like such a good guy. Just not against the Buds.