All-Stars Matthews, Campbell Giving Leafs Fans Astonishing Performances

As we get set to enjoy the 2022 NHL All-Star Game festivities in Las Vegas this weekend, Toronto Maple Leafs fans should count themselves fortunate that the Leafs’ representatives at this year’s AGS – center Auston Matthews and goaltender Jack Campbell – have given the Buds things they haven’t had in many years.

Let’s begin with Matthews, who will be participating in his fifth AGS. The only reason he hasn’t played in six AGs in his six-year NHL career is that the league didn’t stage one last season, as they and the rest of us, were at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the very beginning of his NHL career, Matthews has been an absolute delight to watch, night-in-and-night-out. His shot is taken with such precision, in so little amount of time, it often defies belief. And he’s done this incredibly consistently, even though NHL coaches and defenders stay awake at night trying to figure out ways to stop him.

So far, those efforts have been in vain. Matthews has been just as good as Leafs brass projected he would be when Toronto took him with the first-overall pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft. All the pain the Leafs had to endure to be in a good position in the draft lottery was worth it. The Leafs haven’t had a true No. 1 generational talent since the heyday of Darryl Sittler, only this time, they’ve surrounded Matthews with first-rate teammates. The results have been stupendous. In his first five seasons, Matthews has amassed 199 goals and 351 points in 334 games. He does this with astounding pressure on him, in hockey’s most volatile market. Calling him a star just doesn’t seem like nearly enough.

And now, let’s examine what Campbell has brought to Toronto’s table. Granted, his numbers have dipped of late, but by-and-large, since Leafs GM Kyle Dubas acquired him from the L.A. Kings on Feb. 5, 2020, Campbell has delivered above and beyond the Leafs’ expectations. There is an unspoken confidence this year’s Leafs forwards and blueliners have in Campbell that simply wasn’t there with Frederik Andersen at the end of his Toronto stint last season. Campbell is a battler who can’t rely on his relatively-small physical frame to stop all the shots the occasionally-porous Buds D-men allow to get through to him, and this season, he’s already got four shutouts, a 21-6-3 record, a 2.30 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage.

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The question about Campbell’s slower rise to stardom is how well he would hold up under the number of games he’d play this year. Prior to this season, the most Campbell had played in one year at the NHL level was the 31 games he appeared in for the Kings in 2018-19. He’s now one game away from tying that amount, and the Leafs are going to lean on him just about as hard as they’ve done through the first half of this season. Just as Matthews is the best Leaf skater since Sittler, Campbell is giving Toronto its most dynamic netminding they’ve had, arguably, since Curtis Joseph.

So there you have it. Two American-born stars, each with their own route to the ASG, The Leafs are where they are – and let’s remember, they’re currently on a pace to post nearly 120 standings points, which would be the most in franchise history, beating their current record of 105 points – in no small part because of what Matthews and Campbell have done for them. Torontonians know only too well what it can be like to see a Leafs team that doesn’t have these All-Star-worthy talents, so they should appreciate what they have while it’s still here.