I’m a bit baffled by the Jack Campbell story. Here’s a career underachiever who never really hit his potential. He gets traded to Toronto and puts up some good numbers in a relatively small space of time and then ultimately ends up in Edmonton where he seems to have reverted to type.
Was he ever as good as his time in Toronto made him look?
No, but that’s the problem with assessing players in any team sport. If there’s a GM who tells you he’s found a way to isolate a player’s value from that of his teammates, I’ll show you a fucking liar. Sure, some are better at making that educated guess, but that’s all the game will ever be on the GM side.
Goalies are a lot easier to isolate from other positions due to shot danger but Campbell’s stats were better in LA
Further though, he’s doing better than the other goalie in Edmonton so I think it’s the team
If you look at the past few years, there’s been so many goalies that could fit into your description. Goalies are such weirdos, like they are on fire one minute and then they go cold, sometimes forever. I’d never sign a goalie long term, honestly it’s like throwing shit at the wall and hoping for the best in most cases. I’d sign entry level goalies and hopefully just hit paydirt. I know there’s been lots of exceptions to this theory, but for every Fluery or Brodeur, I can name you like 20 Vesa Toskala or Jack Campbells. Look no further than the past 10-15 years of Leafs goalies. I’d never sign a goalie past three years and I certainly wouldn’t pay them what they are paying some of these morons. It’s part of the reason none of these Canadian teams can win, they’ve got these long term contracts with people who don’t deliver. Calgary with Markstrom is another turd example, I could put a beach ball past that guy I sometimes think.
Pretends to be shocked
Oof! So glad we didn’t keep him!
He was good for a short period of time but it always looked like he’d fall off the rails at Abu given time
