Pontus Holmberg will take Kampf's place in the lineup as the team looks to crack down on mistakes.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is looking to take the focus off his team's goaltending and is emphasizing the play in front of the net.
Before the team is set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Keefe revealed that David Kampf will be a healthy scratch for the first time since joining the club in 2021. He cited Kampf's defensive mistakes on a couple of plays, including an offensive-zone error that led to Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli's game-tying goal in the third period on Friday and a line change which resulted in another goal against.
"In my opinion, he hasn't done a good enough job in some of those moments that I'm talking about," Keefe said in his pre-game media availability. "He has to come through and lead the way for us in that department."
Kampf joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2021 and hasn't missed a single game with the club. Toronto extended the defensive center last summer to a four-year contract with worth $9.6 million.
The Maple Leafs are limited in who they could sit out due to roster limitations and while Keefe has stressed that he's liked Kampf's game as of late, he cited the player's primary role as a defensive player in electing to bench the 28-year-old forward.
By taking out one of the team's best defensive players, Keefe also hopes it firms up other players to step up their game.
"I guess you could call it a message to the group in the sense that there's going to be less tolerance for that," Keefe added.
"There needs to be accountability, that's it."
The Maple Leafs fell 6-5 to the Blue Jackets after squandering multiple leads. Much of the criticism has been on struggling goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who surrendered six goals on 21 shots.
Certainly this move will deflect some of that. Martin Jones will start in goal for Toronto against the Hurricanes
Kampf has four goals and three assists in 33 games this season. Holmberg has played eight games for the Leafs this season and has recorded one assist.
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