Leafs need to keep finding keepers
BACKUP GOALIE CAMPBELL OUT OF ACTION FOR WEEKS
There’s a new hole in the Maple Leafs’ net. Specifically, in the club’s goaltending depth. Coach Sheldon Keefe said on Tuesday that Jack Campbell has a leg injury that is going keep the backup goalie out “for weeks, not days.”
Campbell was hurt late in the third period of the Leafs’ win in Calgary against the Flames on Sunday, but remained in the game and finished with 31 saves.
The backup role to Frederik Andersen now falls to Michael Hutchinson, starting Tuesday night in Calgary.
Joseph Woll was en route to join the Leafs on their trip through Alberta, which hits Edmonton on Thursday and Saturday. Once Woll clears COVID protocols, he will join the taxi squad.
The Campbell injury comes after the Leafs lost goalie Aaron Dell on waivers to the New Jersey Devils last week. Dell had been third on the depth chart between Campbell and Hutchinson.
In short, the Leafs have lost two NHL goalies in just over a week, but at least they know Campbell will return eventually.
“That’s the game, that’s what you go through,” Keefe said. “That’s why you try to set yourself up with as much depth as possible, to deal with whatever might come our way.
“The (way the) schedule sets up here now, it’s pretty favourable for us and for Fred’s workload.”
That’s true. The Leafs will have four non-game days once this trip ends before playing host to the Vancouver Canucks next Thursday. And there’s no back-to-back sets for the Leafs until Feb. 17-18 against Ottawa in Toronto.
Still, there’s lots of hockey coming and the plan had been to use Campbell more often than in back-to-back scenarios. Not only would that have given Andersen some rest, the chances of the Leafs winning wouldn’t have fallen off with Campbell in goal.
Campbell has won his two starts this season, posting a .923 save percentage. When defenceman Jake Muzzin was asked on Tuesday where the team has made strides defensively, this was his initial answer: “Both goalies have played really well for us.”
If the plan remains to give Andersen some rest every so often, Hutchinson will be under pressure to perform up to the second-string standard set by Campbell.
The Leafs traded Hutchinson to Colorado last February and then signed Hutchinson to a two-year, two-way contract in October.
With the Avalanche, Hutchinson was pressed into action in the playoffs and performed well, winning two of his three starts while facing elimination.
“We still have lots of confidence in Fred and Hutch,” Keefe said. “You look at Hutch, I think there is only one player on our roster that was winning games in the second round of the playoffs last year.
“He is coming in here with a different level of confidence than what he had the last time around.”
Hutchinson was 4-9-1 in 15 games with the Leafs last season before he was dealt to Colorado. In 2018-19, after the Leafs acquired Hutchinson from the Florida Panthers, he compiled a record of 2-3-0.
“He had a tough go here,” Keefe said. “At the same time, I believe there was a point in time where he won five consecutive starts for us (it was four).
“He was finding his way and toward the end it didn’t go well, but he went off to Colorado and got put in a really tough position in the playoffs and gave them an opportunity to compete and get to a Game 7.
“When we look at the depth that we started the season with, you lose Aaron Dell and it takes a hit. But to have someone like Michael Hutchinson and his experience as the third guy, we’re in a pretty good place.”
Campbell joins forwards Joe Thornton (rib) and Nick Robertson (knee) on the sideline.
LOOSE LEAFS
Muzzin used to see a lot of TJ Brodie when Muzzin was with the Los Angeles Kings and Brodie was with the Flames. Now that they are teammates in Toronto, does Muzzin observe anything in Brodie he hadn’t as an opponent? “His calmness with the puck, you don’t really see when you’re playing against him, but when you’re playing with him, he settles plays down and he settles the team down,” Muzzin said. “When you’re not scrambling, it allows guys to get in position and allows him to provide a good service for our club.” … Morgan Rielly’s three assists on Sunday marked the eighth time in his career he has had at least three in a game. That’s the third-most among Leafs defencemen behind Borje Salming, who had at least three assists in 29 games, and Tomas Kaberle, who hit the mark 12 times. … Muzzin on his defence partner, Justin Holl: “He is a little more confident. He had another year of experience last year and it helps. You learn players, you learn systems more, and he has come in ready and he looks good physically and he is coming into his own.” … For anyone upset that the Leafs couldn’t find a way to make it work with winger Jeremy Bracco (and the organization tried), note that Bracco is off to Finland to continue his hockey career with Kalpa after failing to earn a spot with the Carolina Hurricanes, who signed him during the off-season and have made the decision to terminate his contract.