Opinion: Kampf Too Pricey For Maple Leafs To Hang Onto, Which Is Why He Should Be Traded Soon

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ past couple of games have illustrated their conundrum when it comes to center David Kampf. Two games ago, Kampf scored Toronto’s first goal of the night against Detroit. However, in the following game, Saturday night against Washington, Kampf was a minus-1 who didn’t generate any offense whatsoever – and that point-less performance is the norm for Kampf, who has just a single goal and five points in 24 games this season.

For the money they’re paying Kampf – $2.4 million per season, as per Puck Pedia – the Leafs should be getting more production out of the 29-year-old Czech native. Even then, last season's performance, when Kampf generated eight goals and 19 points in 78 games, was not a career-high for Kampf. And as his offensive totals have dropped in recent years, so too has his ice time, going from an average of 15:18 per game two seasons ago, to 13:29 last season, and now, to only 12:42 this season.

Sorry, Kampf fans, but that’s not nearly good enough for someone making what Kampf is making. At a point in the Leafs’ development where every salary cap dollar is precious, paying Kampf three times the league-minimum dictates that he should be contributing much more than he is currently. And Leafs GM Brad Treliving has already added or brought up pieces from the American League's Toronto Marlies who can deliver better results than Kampf has been.

Now, it’s true Kampf is a solid penalty-killer and an elite-caliber skater, but that’s just not good enough to justify his salary. Whether it’s center Connor Dewar, center Pontus Holmberg or one of a slew of Toronto Marlies forwards, the Leafs have more than a few cheaper options that have an equal or better chance of producing offense than Kampf has produced this season. And that’s why Treliving needs to be pursuing a Kampf trade as soon as possible.

Related: Three Bold Predictions For NHL Teams In 2025

The stumbling block on any Kampf trade is the two years he has left on his contract after this season. But, Kampf’s salary isn’t nearly as much of an obstacle when it comes to moving him, so long as the Leafs don’t want anything more from a trade than getting out from under his contract and spending that cap space elsewhere. Incredibly, Kampf has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to veto a trade to 10 teams of his choice, but that still leaves 21 teams Treliving can trade Kampf to without his consent. Surely, someone can be persuaded to acquire Kampf.

As the Leafs pursue another veteran center, Kampf would be pushed down the depth chart and probably be a healthy scratch at some point later this season. And $2.4 million per year is far too much to be paying a player to sit in the press box. This is why it’s imperative that Treliving find a new home for Kampf right away. The stakes are too high to allow Kampf to go out there, night after night, and be a black hole where offense goes to die. Again, they can get zero-point games out of players making $775,000, or $1 million, so there’s no question Kampf should be moved.

We’re not suggesting Kampf doesn’t have any value as an NHLer. Obviously, he did enough to earn his current contract. He just hasn’t done enough since signing the deal to justify hanging onto him. And while it might take a have-not team like San Jose or Chicago to take on Kampf’s contract, it no longer makes sense for Toronto to keep Kampf around.

Kampf just passed the 500-game plateau, and he’s earned the respect that comes along with such longevity. However, he doesn’t fit in the Leafs’ salary structure any longer. The time to part ways with Kampf has arrived, and it’s now on Treliving to find a taker for him.

Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.