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Insider shares major update on David Kampf’s future with Maple Leafs
David Kampf may still be part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
Kampf failed to make the Maple Leafs out of camp and has begun the season in the AHL. Toronto, meanwhile, has been trying to trade him, but they haven’t made a deal.
With Kampf stuck in the AHL, there was talk of his terminating his contract and walking away from millions. Yet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said that seems unlikely at this point.
“David Kampf. I’ve heard there is pushback to terminating his contract,” Friedman wrote. “We’ll see how things play out. But he remains on leave from AHL Toronto, and it was clear his heart wasn’t in it.”
Kampf is in the third year of a four-year, $9.6 million deal. He’s owed $2.4 million this season and next, so if he were to terminate the contract, he’d have to give that money up.
However, a big reason why Kampf is thinking about terminating the contract is so he can get back into the NHL and make a push to make the Czech Olympic roster.
Last season with the Maple Leafs, he recorded 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points in 59 games.
Maple Leafs Coach Sends Message to Kampf
After reports came out that Kampf was thinking about terminating his contract, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube sent him a message.
Berube thought Kampf played well in training camp, but unfortnately didn’t earn a roster spot.
“I didn’t see frustration in camp,” Berube said on Monday about Kampf. “He came in, and there was competition at camp. He had to fight for a spot. We have too many players, and we have to make decisions.
“His going down to the minors — he doesn’t feel like he wants to be down there, so that is his decision on what he does. That is not for me to answer. That is all for him and Brad (Treliving) to figure out. I don’t have a whole lot to say on that situation.”
Kampf is a solid fourth-line center in the NHL who plays sound defensively. But with Toronto having Scott Laughton, Nic Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Steven Lorentz all in the bottom-six, Kampf didn’t have a role with the Maple Leafs.
In the AHL this season, Kampf has skated in 4 games, recording 1 assist.
Kampf Pondering Future
Although Kampf is currently in the midst of the most lucrative deal of his NHL career, he is considering his future.
Kampf is frustrated in the AHL and wants to get back into the NHL, which is why he’s considering terminating his contract, according to Friedman.
“The Toronto Marlies are playing tonight in Chicago in the American Hockey League, and he’s not with them,” Friedman said on Saturday Headlines. “I was told there’s a possibility he could play tomorrow, but I think that’s unlikely.
“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.”
Kampf skated in 536 career NHL games, recording 48 goals and 95 assists for 143 points.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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