Thought you understood what the future looked like in net for the Kings?
Think again, apparently.
Today, the Kings announced a new contract for goaltender Jack Campbell. The 27-year old, who would have been an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season, inked a two-year extension worth a total of $3.3 million. He’ll have a $1.65 million cap hit in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
While Campbell had proven more than capable with the Reign, some questions remained as to whether he could perform at the NHL level, especially given the long and winding route he took to get to the NHL in the first place. This past season helped Campbell put doubters to rest as he took on a larger workload after Jonathan Quick’s injury early in the season. Memorably, both Quick and Campbell dealt with meniscus injuries last season.
In the 2018-19 season, Campbell played in 31 games with a record of 10-14-1 and two shut-outs. He recorded a goals against average of 2.30 and a save percentage of .928. Of all four goalies who suited up for the Kings this season, Campbell recorded the best numbers. He also put up some of the best numbers in the league, generally performing in the top 10 when you look at goalies with at least 1,000 minutes in net.
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Campbell’s extension muddies the water a bit when it comes to the Kings’ plan in net in the future. Petersen has one more season of being waiver-exempt, but after this season, the flexibility to move him freely between the NHL and AHL without danger of being claimed on waivers will be lost. The commitment to both Campbell and Petersen, who signed a three-year extension earlier in the summer, shows that the team could be paving the way for a future without Jonathan Quick.