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Dubas explains Leafs' motives for moving on from Campbell, acquiring Murray, Samsonov
Kyle Dubas took a lot of heat for letting Jack Campbell walk into free agency and trading for the oft-injured Matt Murray as his replacement the past few days. However, between Murray and Ilya Samsonov, the Leafs have both their goaltenders locked up for next season at just under $6.5M. A drastic savings between having Murray and Petr Mrazek or Campbell and Mrazek.
When speaking with the media near the end of the first day of free agency, Dubas said:
"We knew very clearly from Jack's representatives what the combination of terms and dollars would look like. For us, we thought a 28-year-old goaltender coming in, which I think is the same age when Jack came in here, and a 28-year-old goaltender with that pedigree... I think Matt would acknowledge himself, not a great finish in Pittsburgh and first year in Ottawa. The things that were - for me the determining factors - number one, his pedigree and number two, more importantly in the short run the way he performed once he came back from Belleville (AHL) there before getting injured at the end of the year, showing the signs of a goaltender that he's been in the past.
It's a two-year commitment with him and a one-year commitment with Ilya (Samsonov). They're both young enough that we'll give them the runway here and see if they can become the long-term solution. But we also have our own young goaltenders coming on the way. So, we're hopeful that over the course of the next two seasons that these guys can all push themselves and begin to run with it here for us."
It's a two-year commitment with him and a one-year commitment with Ilya (Samsonov). They're both young enough that we'll give them the runway here and see if they can become the long-term solution. But we also have our own young goaltenders coming on the way. So, we're hopeful that over the course of the next two seasons that these guys can all push themselves and begin to run with it here for us."
It's clear the Leafs did not want to commit to 5 more years of Campbell, in part because of contracts coming due in the next few seasons such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. Not to mention, should Campbell falter, it is a difficult contract to get out of. With Murray, if things don't work out, the Leafs will still save almost $3M in cap space with a buyout. In Samsonov, the Leafs get a former first round pick that has yet to live up to the hype of "the next Andre Vasilevskiy" as Caps goalie coach Olaf Kolzig called him. At just 25 years old though, he will be an RFA again next season so the Leafs will have the option to retain him or let him walk again.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 14 | 540 ANSWERS Dubas explains Leafs' motives for moving on from Campbell, acquiring Murray, Samsonov Which tandem is better for the Leafs? | ||
| Campbell/Mrazek | 77 | 14.3 % |
| Murray/Samsonov | 463 | 85.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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