According to reports, Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf has stepped away from the Toronto Marlies as he contemplates his future with the organization.
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NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines and then again on the Monday edition of 32 Thoughts the Podcast, that Kampf is growing frustrated that he is not in the NHL. Friedman reported that Kampf has taken some time away from the club and that it could result in a contract termination.
On his podcast, Friedman suggested that the Maple Leafs and Kampf may agree to terminate his contract.
“I don’t know exactly what was said…but Kampf did leave players with the Marlies [Leafs’ AHL affiliate] with the impression that he was going to terminate his contract.”
Kampf’s Time With the Maple Leafs is Over
As mentioned, Friedman first reported this on Saturday Headlines and had this to say.
“The Toronto Marlies are playing tonight in Chicago in the American Hockey League, and he’s not with them. I was told there’s a possibility he could play tomorrow, but I think that’s unlikely,” he said. “David Kampf has taken a couple of days to kind of think about his future. Obviously, he’s not playing with the Maple Leafs right now; he’s in a bit of a roster and salary cap crunch situation, and he got a little bit frustrated. I think everybody understands, he wants to play in the NHL and he’s an NHL player.”
It is clear that Kampf is not happy with his situation, especially after how competitive training camp was and the forward depth that they had. He unfortunately didn’t make the cut. It also didn’t help that he has a bigger cap hit than most in the bottom six.
He is in the third year of a four-year contract, that carries an AAV of $2.4 million. This is more than Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1M), Steven Lorentz ($1.3M), and Bobby McMann ($1.3M). So it does make sense for a team like Toronto that is closer to the salary cap ceiling to want to move out money. Unfortunately, Kampf was the one who didn’t make the team and looks to be leaving the organization entirely.
Friedman then mentioned that the Maple Leafs aren’t going to go in the direction of a buyout for Kampf because it counts towards their salary cap.
“I’m not sure that’s going to happen. He still is owed about $4 million on his Toronto contract. But there’s no question that he’s taken some time this weekend to think about his future in the NHL, what he wants to do. We’ll see if the Maple Leafs can find a move this weekend for him, or to clear space, and or what next week brings him.”
This is a situation that could develop this week. If both sides agree to a contract termination, that would mean the salary cap hit of $2.4 million is completely taken off the books, which would be the most ideal situation for the Maple Leafs. It would also leave Kampf as a free agent and able to sign elsewhere, which would give him a chance to recoup some of the lost money from terminating his contract.
The other likely option is that Toronto finds a team that is willing to take on his contract and trade him away. At this time, it does seem very unlikely that they will be willing to retain any type of money on his deal. If that is the case, it wouldn’t be overly surprising if the Maple Leafs just get back a low-end draft pick to just be done with his contract and the situation. But one thing is for sure, it looks like Kampf’s time with the organization has finally come to an end.
