It’s not often a team terminates the contract of a perfectly serviceable, 30-year-old center, but that’s exactly what the Toronto Maple Leafs are doing with David Kampf. As Darren Dreger reported, Kampf is set to hit unconditional waivers and will become an unrestricted free agent today.
From where I’m sitting, this isn’t an indictment of Kampf as a player; it’s a cold, hard asset-management decision by the Maple Leafs. They’re clearly looking to re-allocate cap space and believe they can find his specific contributions elsewhere, likely for cheaper. But make no mistake: Toronto’s loss is about to be another team’s gain.
Kampf is the definition of a “coach’s-trust” player. You don’t sign him to rack up 50 points. You sign him to win the critical defensive-zone faceoff, to kill the 5-on-3 penalty, and to eat up the tough-checking minutes against the opponent’s top line so your stars can feast in the offensive zone. He’s a specialist, and specialists are always in demand.
Where Will David Kampf Land? Analyzing the 4-Team Race
Dreger’s report links him to four teams, and each one makes a ton of sense. The list includes the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks.
The most obvious connection, and the one I’m watching closest, is Pittsburgh. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is the man who brought Kampf to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021. He knows exactly what Kampf brings: reliability, defensive structure, and a low-maintenance personality. The Penguins are desperate for center depth behind Sid and Geno, and they desperately need a penalty kill boost. This feels less like a “what if” and more like a “when.”
The Other Suitors
But don’t count out the others. Montreal could use a veteran presence like Kampf to mentor their young centers and establish a defensive standard. Calgary needs players if they decide to trade Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman. Vancouver is in a dogfight in the West, and know you can’t win in the playoffs without reliable, bottom-six depth. Kampf is the exact kind of player a GM acquires for a long playoff run.
My money is on Pittsburgh, but the beauty of the free-agent market is that it only takes one GM to overpay. The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved on, but David Kampf’s phone is about to be ringing off the hook.
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The post The Kampf-ather: Why 4 Teams Are Scrambling to Sign the Ex-Maple Leafs Center appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
