The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without Jack Campbell since January 24th, but the goaltender appears to finally be nearing a return to the team.
Jack Campbell last featured in a 3-2 win for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Calgary Flames, appearing to injury himself as he ensured his team did not blow their lead.
After the game, Campbell was ruled out for weeks with a lower-body injury, leaving the Leafs to call up Michael Hutchinson to the main roster while Joseph Woll has occupied the taxi squad in the meantime.
Now, however, it appears as if Campbell’s absence will finally come to an end in the very near future after he began skating once again this week.
Campbell Closing In On Return
Via TSN’s Kristen Shilton, the Leafs backup has been training one-on-one with goaltending coach Steve Briere, which is a key step towards the 29-year-old eventually re-joining the roster once again.
When asked about Campbell’s progress, head coach Sheldon Keefe did temper expectations, with Campbell still more than a week away and no official timetable placed on his return at this stage.
Regardless, Campbell’s health is improving and having him back for the remainder of the season will be a significant boost for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they continue to work towards claiming the North Division title.
Campbell looked solid in his two appearances before his injury, going 2-0-0 with a goals against average of just 2.00 and an impressive save percentage of .923. (All stats via Hockey Reference).
The Leafs have been in fine form in Campbell’s absence, with starter Frederik Andersen posting a 6-1-1 record, playing in every game without a night of so far.
Andersen’s record on the season is now 9-3-1, with his stats improving to a 2.79 goals against average and a .901 save percentage, but there will come a time when the Leafs need to rotate the Dane out for a night or two and having Campbell available will undoubtedly give them a better chance of winning.
There is still a lot of hockey to be played this season, which is one of the only positives to the timing of Campbell’s injury, as it means he will return and can still have a significant stretch of games in the final run-in to the playoffs.
Across Andersen’s career in Toronto, he has arguably been overplayed and with Campbell side-lined, that is potentially the case in recent weeks, though it has seen him improve his overall performances and get back to the level typically expected of him.
Having a hot Andersen and a healthy Campbell gives the Leafs a strong tandem that they can rely on and will be a big relief to the team’s coaches, with Hutchinson’s record with the Leafs less than impressive and his position on the team coming as a result of Aaron Dell being claimed on waivers earlier in the season.