Campbell's agent Kurt Overhardt spoke with The Athletic on what's been going on with his client's contract and Toronto.
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It’s been more than a month since the Maple Leafs played their last game and Jack Campbell, the goalie who started that night, still remains without a contract for next season.
And from the sounds of it, talks between the Leafs and Campbell have been progressing slowly.
“We’ve had a couple of conversations,” Kurt Overhardt, Campbell’s agent, told The Athletic this week. “I think it’s been reported that we haven’t exchanged numbers or anything like that. But we continue to have a good dialogue.”
Overhardt said he’s spoken with the Leafs about once a week since the Leafs season came to an end on May 14 in that narrow Game 7 loss to the Lightning.
As he noted, unrestricted free agency — kicking off on July 13 — was still a month away.
“There’s still so much time,” Overhardt said, noting that teams, including the Leafs, were likely in the midst of, or had recently completed, their pro scouting meetings. “With Jack, obviously he’s really interested in coming back and would be committed to do that. We continue to talk to the club, and we’ve got an open dialogue."
“Nothing to report other than that.”
What are we to read into that, if anything? Is it odd that we’re one month into the offseason and the Leafs haven’t talked numbers in any detail yet with Campbell’s camp? Or that talks, more generally, have been minimal?
Does it simply mean the Leafs have decided already to move on from Campbell?
It’s certainly possible.
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One phone call, mind you, and the talks could heat up. It’s why Campbell’s camp isn’t inclined to set a drop-dead date before they decide to head to market.
“No, I don’t think so,” Overhardt said. “I don’t think that’s appropriate. The one luxury that I think everyone has right now, as you know, is time. And it’s important just to communicate.”
