Why David Kampf's Contract Is Suddenly an Obstacle for the Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are stuck in a budget crunch that they are struggling to balance, adding on top an uncertain roster situation that has Toronto wanting to add, but unable to afford top options.

It was clear after Toronto walked away without a top-six forward on July 1st the financial strain the Leafs were under, even with getting Mitch Marner's contract off the books.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs could very well go into 2025-26 with the roster they currently have in place, their financial situation is a question mark even beyond this season, and may take moving out a contract to solve it.

David Kampf is one of the players who is easiest to move from both a financial standpoint, as well as a roster one.

Where the Leafs are not looking to touch their top-six except for addition, the point of subtraction could very well come from the bottom-six instead.

Kampf, 30, is currently making $2.4M, a somewhat steep amount for a player who has a career bottom-six forward and looks to be outside the Leafs top-nine heading into this season.

In fact, Kampf's roster status seems uncertain in general. With a deep forward group, Kampf could very well be on the outside looking in for Toronto, especially with the addition of Nicolas Roy already a replacement for the Leafs if they look to deal Kampf.

Moving Kampf comes with complications as he does have a partial 10-team no-trade clause, limiting the Leafs options on the deal but still an area that Toronto could explore a trade.

Toronto seems unlikely to touch their blueline right now, making a forward the most likely departure, with their deep bench an obvious factor as well.

Max Domi has been another rumored name, although he plays higher in the Leafs lineup and may not be someone the team wants to part ways with, especially as the goal is to subtract without hurting the top-end of the forward group.

Kampf, who has been one of Toronto's key penalty killers and shutdown defensive forwards, is replaceable in Roy, as well as fellow acquisition Dakota Joshua, who brings physicality to Toronto's lineup.

Both additions make Kampf less necessary of a player needed in the Leafs roster. It wouldn't be a surprise if Kampf was waived if a trade doesn't happen, and also no surprise if he's claimed.

The rest of the Leafs bottom-six are players who have friendlier contracts, meaning a financial sense plays as much of a part in Kampf's exit, perhaps the biggest.

For the Toronto Maple Leafs being able to ease their books and have slighter financial stability, David Kampf may be the easiest fatality of their need for cap space.

But whether they can cut him loose is a whole other story.