Report: Maple Leafs and Jack Campbell Talking Contract Extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs have some tough decisions to make when it comes to contracts but that apparently hasn't stopped them from starting the conversation with goaltender Jack Campbell. According to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, the Leafs and Campbell's reps have begun working on his new deal.

The 29-year-old netminder is in the final season of his current contract, which is only paying him $1.65 million annually. After a historic season in 2020-21, where Campbell took over as the Maple Leafs number one netminder, he's once again off to a hot start in 2021-22. The beloved teammate has started 4-2-1 with a 1.99 goals against average and a .929 save percentage.

As far as how exactly the deal will look, that's where the team is going to need to get creative. The Leafs already have $3.8 million locked into Petr Mrazek for the next two seasons so it's expected Campbell would come in just a touch higher. Campbell only has 94 NHL games under his belt so he won't have a ton of leverage in negotiations, however if he performs on an elite level this season, that of course could all change.

One deal to compare his too would be Cal Petersen of the Los Angeles Kings. Similar career sample size and Petersen ended up inking a three-year deal worth $5 million per season. Having roughly $9 million locked into your goaltending is about where you want, but for the Leafs it may be a touch high due to their expensive core.

As of right now the Maple Leafs have 15 players off their current roster under contract for next season and roughly $6.2 million in cap space. Considering Campbell is likely coming in around $4-5 million, something's got to give in Toronto.

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