Leafs Forward's Mysterious Absence Has Fans Wondering What's Going On
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
As the Toronto Marlies took the ice Saturday, veteran forward David Kampf was nowhere to be seen, and with no injury or setback; fans are curious to what's going on.
It was a junior Battle of Ontario on Saturday night as the Toronto Marlies were on the road to take on the Belleville Senators. They fared better than their senior club in overtime, able to squeak past the Sens with a 2-1 win thanks to a two-goal effort from Borya Valis.
Dennis Hildeby was solid, and Michael Pezzetta showed the passion and fire we expected with a fight, and it pushed the Marlies to a 2-1-0-0 record to start the season.
David Kampf Disappears From the Marlies Lineup
However it was the pre-game lineup that brought some attention, and it doesn't bode well for veteran forward David Kampf:
Kampf was not seen in the lineup at all, instead being replaced by Bo Groulx on the top line.
So far this season, Kampf has appeared in two games for the Marlies, with zero points, a minus-1 rating and only two shots. It's a bad sign for the future of the veteran who already fell out of favor with Craig Berube.
Fans were also puzzled as to how bad Kampf could be to be scratched as well:
With all the moves made this offseason, and the emergence of Easton Cowan, it was over for Kampf in a Leafs uniform, and between him and Calle Jarnkrok it seems like the team made the right move in who to keep.
Could the Maple Leafs Be Setting Up a Roster Move?
But this might be setting up something in the future, as clearly the organization has no use for Kampf at either the NHL or AHL level, and they might be trying to find ways to get his off the books.
Easier said than done considering he makes $2.4-million and no one is going to take on that deal especially if he's getting scratched in the AHL; that's a definitive waste of money.
A contract buyout is a potential option, and it would cost them under $1-million to do so, however that does handicap them a bit for free agency next year.
If push comes to shove, Toronto can dump him off somewhere and retain maybe half of his deal, or 33% and give a team a veteran a bit more cheaper; and the team doesn't have much to dish out to pending free agents with all their big names locked up.
Whatever the case, David Kampf's tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs is all but over as he's still technically part of the roster makeup.
But it looks like it won't be long before the team washes their hands of Kampf for good, and move on from one of the most confusing contracts in recent memory.
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