Toronto Goaltending Still An Issue

2 years ago  /  Kuklas Korner

from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,


The splash that Dubas made on Sunday when he acquired defenceman Mark Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell from the Seattle Kraken was notable, but unless one of Jack Campbell or Petr Mrazek rebounds in a large way in the remainder of the regular season, the Leafs’ desire for a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs will be sunk.

There’s no guarantee, either, that even if one of them is sharp, the Leafs will go far in a post-season that includes potential obstacles such as the two-time Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers, or, yes, the Boston Bruins.

The situation boils down to whether Campbell, who continues to recover from a rib injury, can rediscover the form that earned him a trip to the all-star game in Las Vegas in January.

“It has not always been a straight path for Jack,” Dubas said. “He always finds a way to bounce back. He’s a competitor and he thrives when there are doubts and when things get rocky. For me, being a goaltender here in Toronto, you have to have that quality. And he has it.”

The rub is that the 30-year-old Campbell has never played more than 40 games in one NHL season. He doesn’t have a long track record of NHL excellence. Before he went out of the lineup a couple of weeks ago, he was racked by inconsistency for weeks.

As for Mrazek, the Leafs talk about him like he’s a netminder who has been good for years and mysteriously has fallen into a rut in the first season of a three-year contract with Toronto. In reality, mediocrity has defined Mrazek’s career. He has a .909 save percentage in 292 NHL games. That doesn’t indicate someone who only now has started struggling.


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