Buffalo Sabres: 3 reasons signing Jack Campbell would make no sense
By Sion Fawkes
Post All-Star backslide and injuries
It is appropriate to be fair here, as the first-round exits from the playoffs were not on Campbell. But what’s concerning is his performance following the All-Star break. This goes hand-in-hand with Reason #1 as to why the Buffalo Sabres should not sign the fan favorite.
Here are Campbell’s statistics following the 2022 NHL All-Star Game: 10-3-3, 3.11 GAA, 0.888 save percentage. While he still had a great record, here’s the kicker: The Maple Leafs scored an average of 4.76 goals per game in contests that Campbell started following the All-Star break.
He also lacks durability, as implied in the previous section. In 2021-22 alone, Campbell missed time between March 8th and April 2nd with a rib injury. While many fans will attribute his backslide to the injury as the linked article above implies, we need to ask ourselves whether the Sabres should sign goaltenders that lack durability again.
While I am high on Braden Holtby and even open to bringing back Ukko-Pekka Luukonen, both of whom struggled with injuries, the key denominator is this: Jack Campbell would come for a higher price and a lengthier contract and Holtby or Luukkonen. As of right now, it’s just something the Sabres don’t need.