Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf is reportedly frustrated with his situation and has stepped away from the AHL's Marlies, forcing the team and the player to confront a complex roster situation.
David Kampf's unhappiness with his situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs has reportedly led the veteran forward to take some time away from the team.
During the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Kampf was not with the Toronto Marlies during their road trip.
"Kampf has taken a couple of days to kind of think about his future," Friedman stated. "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".
The veteran forward was placed on waivers before the season began and was subsequently assigned to the Marlies after none of the other 31 NHL clubs put in a claim for the Czech player.
Report: Maple Leafs Continue To Explore Trading David Kampf And Nick Robertson, But In 'No Rush' To Move Young Forward
Robertson and Kampf's future with the Maple Leafs has been questioned since the summer.
Kampf is currently in the third year of a four-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $2.4 million per season. Due to league rules, the Leafs are carrying $1.25 million of that on their NHL cap, as clubs are only permitted to get a maximum of $1.15 million in cap relief for buried contracts in 2025-26.
This is certainly a less than ideal situation for all parties involved. The Leafs likely would have preferred to find a suitor for Kampf, and the player likely feels he is still an NHL player elsewhere.
Friedman also pointed to other players like Conor Sheary, Brandon Saad, and Filip Zadina who agreed to mutually terminate their existing standard player contracts so they could sign elsewhere.
Making Sense Of The Timing Behind Maple Leafs' Decision To Place David Kampf On Waivers
With <a target="_blank" href="https://www.espn.com/nhl/player/_/id/2976848/scott-laughton">Scott Laughton</a> having gone down with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 3-1 pre-season loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/player/david-kampf-8480144">David Kampf</a> seemed in line to fill the void on the fourth line. Kampf skated on the fourth line alongside <a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeywriters.com/docs/steven-lorentz/">Steven Lorentz</a> and top prospect <a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeywriters.com/docs/easton-cowan/">Easton Cowan</a>. But hours after the practice ended, the veteran forward was placed on waivers.
The problem for the 30-year-old Kampf in entertaining that option is that he would be forgoing roughly $4 million (including a $1.325 million signing bonus due next summer) if he agreed to it.
"We'll see if the Maple Leafs can find a move this weekend for him or to clear space, and what next week brings him," Friedman said. "But he wants to play, and he's just taking some time because he's frustrated right now".
Friedman pointed out there is a possibility Kampf returns to the team on Sunday, but even if he does, there doesn't appear to be a path for Kampf to return to the Leafs until injuries necessitate a call-up and cap space is cleared.
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