Kampf received a signing bonus ahead of the 2025-26 season and the league may want some of that back, further complicating the player’s next move.
David Kampf continues to be on leave from the Toronto Marlies as he contemplates his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. While multiple reports indicate Kampf is entertaining the idea of a mutual contract termination that would allow the player to sign with another franchise, it turns out that leaving the remaining money owed on the table isn’t the only issue.
Kampf signed a four-year contract worth $2.4 million per season back in 2023. A $1.325 million signing bonus is paid in each of the four years. Kampf also received signing bonus money ahead of the 2025-26 season, and the league may want some of that back, further complicating the player’s next move.
On the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman went deeper into the $1.325 million signing bonus that Kampf already received this season.
“There is in some contracts something called clawback language. And it allows the team to seek the return of a signing bonus if the player terminates the deal,” Friedman stated. “And if you're wondering why it's there, it's kind of obvious.”
He explained that the language protects against a player quitting once his signing bonus is paid and gives the team a route to seek its return, as stipulated in the contract.
The Maple Leafs could be in a situation where the NHL asks the club to seek a pro-rated amount of Kampf's already-paid signing bonus.
“I have heard return of the signing bonus has come up in the middle of this," Friedman noted. "So I am thinking that either the Maple Leafs said, ‘hey, there's clawback language here and we're going to enforce it’. Or the league has said, ‘hey, there's language here that we want you to enforce’.”
The final resolution of this matter remains to be seen, as Kampf would be leaving a lot of money on the table regardless of whether his 2025 signing bonus is clawed back or not.
The 30-year-old was placed on waivers by the Leafs before the regular season, and he has been with the Marlies since. As of last week, he’s taken a leave from the team to contemplate his future. The Leafs are not currently incurring his $1.25 million cap burial, as the suspension without pay lasts until the matter is resolved.
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