Toronto Maple Leafs: It’s Time to Rest Jack Campbell

A few days off after the NHL All-Star Break was supposed to be good for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell, but he was right back to his shaky ways on Thursday night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs outshot the Calgary Flames by a large margin but it wasn’t enough, as Jacob Markstrom was brilliant. Mid-way through the second period, the game was trending towards a tight battle but before you knew it, the Flames were up 5-1.

Andrew Mangiapane scored on a great shot that beat Campbell glove-high that made it 1-1, then Noah Hanifin scored a back-door tally that works in NHL 22 every time to give Calgary a 2-1 lead.

After that goal, Campbell was broken.

Oliver Kylington scored a muffin from the point, then Elias Lindholm was left wide-open and went short-side on Campbell to make the game 4-1. The last goal of the night by the Flames was another point-shot, but this time it was Rasmus Andersson, who fired one on net in front of a screen that miraculously went in.

Of the five goals that Calgary scored, Campbell allowed two weak goals, but he was left out to dry on the other three.

It’s easy to put the entire blame on Campbell for allowing five goals, but any NHL goaltender would have had a tough time stopping three of those five goals. The Leafs defense was abysmal last night in allowing those opportunities to happen and they seriously need an upgrade.

Although the majority of the goals weren’t his fault, Campbell still needs to be better and it may be time for him to take a break.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Jack Campbell Needs to Rest

Here’s Campbell’s goals against numbers over his past eight starts, courtesy of The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel:

This is the fourth time in the past eight games that Campbell has allowed five or more goals. Even though Toronto was won a majority of his last few starts, it’s unacceptable.

In Petr Mrazek’s last five games started, here are his goals against numbers (via: espn.com):

• 3
• 1
• 4
• 1
• 2

During the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night, Mrazek showed a lot of promise, stopping 28 of 31 shots, while helping his team to victory. It wasn’t a perfect performance but he showed why the team gave him a three-year deal worth $3.8M AAV.

Mrazek got off to a slow-start this season, but he’s been playing much better over his past few starts and he should be rewarded for it.

Everyone loves Jack Campbell and wants him to succeed but rest and relaxation will be beneficial for him. Toronto arguably has two number-one goaltenders, so they have the ability to rest Campbell without it hurting the overall team.

Over the next three months, the Leafs are going to be playing a ton of games. As a result, they can’t rely on Campbell every night, as they need him healthy for the playoffs.

After watching Campbell for the last few weeks, it’s clear that he needs a break. It’s time to give Petr Mrazek the reign and let Campbell regain his confidence for the stretch run.