Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs have enough on their plates. In addition to an NHL season that’s shaping up to be a nail-biter, the Buds are facing pressure from a disgruntled veteran. According to the latest reports around the league, the Maple Leafs are making their stance clear.
David Kampf hasn’t been a fan of Craig Berube’s decision to have him start the 2025-26 season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. After missing the opening 14 games of the NHL campaign, the 30-year-old veteran decided to take a personal leave of absence, not reporting to the Marlies.
To no one’s surprise, Toronto has no intention of sitting idly by. Shortly after the drama broke loose, the Maple Leafs answered back with a harsh measure against the Czech forward.
“David Kampf is suspended without pay by the Maple Leafs for leaving their AHL team,” as reported by PuckPedia on X. “Therefore the Leafs are not currently incurring the $1.25M buried cap charge for him while in the minors. The expectation is this is resolved soon. [Either], he reports back, mutually terminates, or is traded.”
David Kampf playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Times have changed
Kampf is currently playing through the third season of his four-year, $9.60 million contract. Coming off a career-high, 27-point season, the Maple Leafs happily signed him to such a deal back in the summer of 2023.
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However, new names emerged for Toronto, and changes occurred around Matthews and the Buds. Now, the Leafs don’t have a spot for Kampf in the lineup. Toronto can’t even fit him onto the roster. With only $1.37 million available in cap space, Kampf’s $2.4M cap hit would put the Maple Leafs over the league’s limit.
In a bit of a pickle
Under the current circumstances, there isn’t much room to wiggle for the Maple Leafs. If Kampf won’t accept playing in the AHL, he faces two options: either agree to terminate his contract or request a trade out of the organization. Neither outcome is particularly favorable. If Kampf terminates his contract, he’ll be left on the street searching for a new beginning in the NHL—with most teams already set for the campaign.
On the other hand, requesting a trade seems like the better option, yet it’s not a walk in the park, either. Toronto has been searching for trade partners all summer, trying to resolve its dilemma involving Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, and Nicholas Robertson. All three are still in The Six, which should paint a clear picture of just how dry the trade market is at the moment.
Auston Matthews at Scotiabank Arena on May 31, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Betting on himself
At the end of the day, the best option for Kampf might actually be reporting back to the Marlies, though some reports hint that’s a bridge he has no interest in crossing again.
“I don’t know exactly what was said or how it was communicated, but Kampf did leave players on the Marlies with the impression that he was going to terminate his contract,” insider Elliotte Friedman stated on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
Based on these reports, it seems Kampf is opting to leave under his own power. The veteran has grown tired of waiting around for the Maple Leafs to decide his future, and instead, he’s now betting on himself. Whether he finds a new team or not will likely come down to his skill set and his agent’s work, rather than waiting for the timid front offices around the league to take a chance on him amid a stagnant period.
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