NHL expert and former player Nick Kypreos believes the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to “cut bait” with a $9.6 million forward, David Kampf. This suggests that the team may be seeking to let him go.
With more than two months left in the summer, teams still have plenty of time to sign the remaining free agents or trade players when the initial wave of NHL free agency ends. One of the clubs that is still the focus of trade speculations is the Maple Leafs, and according to Kypreos, Toronto is seeking to move Kampf.
Additionally, the bottom six forwards require some focus. Is David Kämpf expected to be the starting center for the Leafs’ checking line? It’s likely that they too used a baited approach there. In his piece for the Toronto Star, Kypreos asked, “Can prospect Fraser Minton replace him, or is it time to hunt for an NHL-ready talent elsewhere?
Kampf signed a $9.6 million, four-year contract on June 28, 2023, and is now in his second year of the agreement. With a projected salary of $2.4 million over the next three years, Kypreos believes Toronto should find a less expensive replacement for him.
The Maple Leafs do need to free up budget space because Toronto is presently $694k above the salary cap, according to CapFriendly. Kampf may be a trade option.
Another Insider Suggestions Trading Kampf
Additionally, according to NHL source Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs would consider dealing Kampf and two other guys.
If the proper trade came up, they would consider trading Kampf, Jarnkrok, or Timothy Liljegren. To be absolutely clear, I do not believe they are attempting to get rid of them at all; rather, I believe they are quite tightly wound due to the Leafs’ salary cap. The blueline actually appears different at this stage of the off-season; they have clearly made adjustments in goal. However, I believe they’ll need to think outside the box to handle any future adjustments they choose to make,” Johnston stated on The Chris Johnston Show on July 4.
The Maple Leafs will probably need to trade someone in order to make a move because Toronto hasn’t made any adjustments to their forward group and lost Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency.
Is Kampf a Good Fit for The Maple Leafs?
Kampf is a vital penalty-killer for the Maple Leafs and their fourth-line center.
Kampf is suggested as a trade target because, at $2.4 million a season, there are less expensive possibilities to be a fourth-line center. Although he is an important defensive forward for Toronto, his faceoff percentage of just 50.9% during the previous season was his lowest.
Kampf may have regressed at the faceoff dot, but Toronto still values his defensive prowess and ability to kill penalties.
Kampf finished the previous season with the Maple Leafs with 78 games played, 8 goals, 11 assists, and 19 points.
Kampf earned an NHL contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017 while playing professionally in Europe, having gone undrafted in 2012. Before agreeing to a two-year, $3 million contract with the Maple Leafs, he spent four seasons with the Blackhawks. At the end of those two years, he signed a four-year, $9.6 million contract that he is now in.
