Maple Leafs Will Make One Final Push to Sign Jack Campbell

Now that the Toronto Maple Leafs have cleared up some cap space by sending Petr Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks, GM Kyle Dubas says the Leafs have the wherewithal to go after any goaltender they see fit via trade or free agency. Because there aren’t a lot of options left, and there are more teams looking than there are goaltenders available, among the targets Dubas will look at is Jack Campbell.

What’s so interesting about this is that any new push by the Maple Leafs to sign Campbell speaks to how slim the market is for goaltenders. Reports are that Dubas and Campbell’s camp hadn’t exchanged numbers at all prior to the NHL draft. It seemed as though both sides were prepared to move on and that Toronto was looking elsewhere, while Campbell was being linked to the Edmonton Oilers. Now, the Leafs are prepared to potentially take one more run at getting the Campbell deal done.

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Chris Johnston of TSN correctly notes that the Leafs do still have exclusive negotiating rights with Jack Campbell until next Wednesday. He adds that Dubas intends to sit down his netminder and that when he gets back to Toronto from the draft in Montreal, he wants to see if there’s a chance to two sides can come to an agreement. Because there’s been so little dialogue between the two camps, it might be too little too late, but both camps likely know what Campbell will get on the open market, rumors swirling that he’ll get at least five years by $5 million per season.

If talks fall apart, Dubas will have to look elsewhere. Some are reporting he’s had numerous talks with the Ottawa Senators about Matt Murray. Others wonder if he’ll make a pitch for Darcy Kuemper. Perhaps even John Gibson or Jake Allen are options on the trade market. First, Dubas will find out of his own guy is still an option.

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