When you think of top goalies in the NHL many think of goalies like Igor Shesterkin, Anrei Vasilevsky and Connor Hellebuyck however Jack Campbell deserves to be up there right with them. After a compact schedule in a COVID season that saw divisions realigned and restrictions made extremely strict Campbell proved to many doubters that he is more than a viable option as a starter, but a very good starter in this league. Jack has continued his dominant play this season and here’s why he needs to be in the conversation for the top five goalies in the NHL.
Advanced Stats
As I’m writing this Jack Campbell ranks third in the NHL in GSAx ahead of goalies like Andrei Vasilevsky and Connor Hellebuyck and only ranks behind Igor Shesterkin as well as Frederik Andersen. Jack Campbell has played 24 games this season so it isn’t that small of a sample size anymore and Campbell has been consistently good this season so it’s not like he had a small dominant run that carries his stats. Campbell also ranks first in the league in GSAA and also ranks fifth in the NHL in high danger save percentage (minimum 20 games played) behind Tristan Jarry, John Gibson, Ilya Sorokin, and Johnathan Quick. Jack Campbell is at least number five in every single advanced statistic you should look at for goaltenders however people still refuse to put him in this conversation due to the fact his name is not as big as Hellebuyck or Vasilevsky.
Basic Stats
If the advanced stats weren’t good enough for you, well Jack Campbell has done just as well in save percentage. Jack Campbell leads the league in save percentage with a 0.939 and he also ranks first in the NHL in GAA with a 1.86. Campbell has the second-most shutouts in the league only behind Jacob Markstrom as well as the third-most wins in the NHL, behind Andrei Vasilevsky and Frederik Andersen.
Jack Campbell is at least top five in every big statistic and has been phenomenal for the Leafs from the second he came to Toronto. So why don’t people talk about him as a top goalie in the league? Is it because it took him a bit longer than others to get to this level? I’ll never understand why people don’t talk about him with these other goalies that are being called best in the league. What more does he have to do until he is being compared to these goalies? He’s been better than Connor Hellebuyck who is widely regarded as one of the best goalies in the league.
Last season Campbell was spectacular all year. During the playoff collapse, he was FAR from the problem and if anything he was the reason why the games they lost were close. If people want playoff performance then he’s done that too unfortunately the Leafs have disappointed him and collapsed in front of him.
Jack Campbell is a top-five goalie in this league right now.