Mrazek has the skill and enough games remaining to steal the job and I'm hoping he does. I'd rather a goalie who only sucks when injured versus a goalie whose mental strength is unpredictable and can tap out at any time unexpectedly. Campbell needs to get his head out of wherever it is right now.
We're in year 3 of covid disrupting games and the world in general, the mental burnout shouldn't be severe enough to regress him this badly. He's played enough games that the pause shouldn't have killed his motor skills this quickly. It wasn't a 5 month break like 2019. Look at Freds playoff numbers after a 5 month break, 1.84 gaa and .936% in 5 games and Jackets brought the playoff intensity too. Yet nobody is willing to give him a break for some of the softies in the Jackets series. But sure, a career backup is just rusty and needs some more games to turn back into a vezina candidate? These goals he's letting in doesn't look like rust to me. Those were good teams who just moved the puck around and got bounces that Campbell straight up couldn't track or position himself properly for. He needs to be better. No excuses. He knows it, Keefe knows it. That's it.
**The covid mental part looks like a contradiction. I'm not ruling out its mental I just dont think covid and lack of playing time has anything to do with the mental strain. If mental, it's probably because the East playoffs is forming, we're hitting mid point of the season, scrutiny increases exponentially from here on out and the pressure to perform hit him like a tidal wave. All this time off gave him the free time to over-think second half grind for a hockey mecca like Toronto.
