No. 1: Jack Campbell
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford
- LA Kings acquire: Trevor Moore, 2020 3rd Round Pick, 2021 3rd Round Pick
The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed two things in this trade. They acquired a future starting goalie and added toughness, which was something they lacked.
Sure, Clifford didn’t do much with the Leafs and his biggest highlight was a five-minute major in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, but acquiring Campbell at such a low cost was a huge risk that paid off for Dubas.
Campbell saw some injury troubles too, but overall, his stats as the Leafs starting goaltender were incredible. He’s struggled in Edmonton, but as a member of the Leafs, he was a huge fan-favorite, with the arena screaming “SOUUUUUP” every time he made a big save.
I know they never won in the playoffs, but Campbell wasn’t really the issue. In both Game 7’s, Campbell played well, but his team failed to provide offense. There were a few stops that he should have made, but only giving up a prospect and two third-round picks for a starting goalie is hard to accomplish.
I always liked Moore and he’s thriving in Los Angeles, but he’s not a difference-maker to a team, compared to Campbell, who was.
Campbell’s time in Toronto was one we should all remember and as a result, it goes down as Dubas’ best trade deadline acquisition throughout his tenure thus far.