Maple Leafs Officially Place David Kampf and Promising Prospect on Waivers

In a stunning turn of events, the Toronto Maple Leafs placed forward David Kampf on waivers Friday, as well as prospect William Villeneuve as they join the slew of roster cuts and waivers assignments.

Everyone on yesterday's wire cleared except Ilya Solovyev, Daemon Hunt, and Cole Schwindt.

Teams will have 24 hours to place a claim on any of the players waived Friday, otherwise they will be assigned to the AHL or otherwise have their futures determined by their current club.

The waiver assignment comes as a surprise as Kampf was expected to cover for Scott Laughton after he went down with an injury and is expected out for a few weeks.

However there is some debate as to whether or not Villeneuve is actually placed on waivers, as various other sources claim that only Kampf has been assigned to the waiver wire; though we will update you as soon as we can solidify his status.

The discussion involving Kampf was a focal point of the offseason, as Toronto made a slew of moves that essentially forced him out of his usual spot. With Nic Roy, Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua all set to play on the fourth line, it pushed guys like Scott Laughton down; meaning Kampf had no room.

But again; it's a bit odd that the team is going to waive Kampf when they can certainly use him, however perhaps this is leading into a potential signing or even a call-up for a name like Jacob Quillan.

Plus, his $2.4-million deal is a huge burden on the team and by waiving him and potentially assigning him, his cap hit gets knocked off.

Villeneuve, if he is waived, is also a bit perplexing. He's a young offensive defenseman who is on the cusp of making the NHL, and could have been seen as the replacement for Oliver Ekman-Larsson down the line.

Although Toronto does have quite a bit of defensive depth, Villeneuve was always seemingly part of those plans and it could be a manner of trying to just find space as opposed to giving up on him.

Last season, Villeneuve had 40 points in 55 games (4 goals, 36 assists) and has 90 points in 163 games for the Marlies; he was drafted 122nd overall by the Maple Leafs in 2020.