There has been an interesting development in the David Kampf saga. The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to suspend him without pay after he left the Toronto Marlies.
This has been something that NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has covered over the last week and has always said that there is a possibility that this is going to end with a contract termination. He had this to say on his podcast.
“I don’t know exactly what was said…but Kampf did leave players with the Marlies [Leafs’ AHL affiliate] with the impression that he was going to terminate his contract.”
Kampf’s Contract Likely to be Terminated
According to Puckpedia, the Maple Leafs have suspended him which means that they are no longer incurring on his salary cap burial with him playing in the American Hockey League (AHL).
If that is the case, they would save themselves $1.25 million this season and $1.75 million next season. They also suggested that this will likely be cleared up with a contract termination or a trade. If he has his contract terminated, both teams essentially walk away from the deal. The Maple Leafs would save themselves his entire contract and Kampf is free to sign elsewhere. This would give him the option to sign with another NHL team and try and earn back some of the money lost.
Related: Reports Suggest David Kampf Is Stepping Away From Maple Leafs
If he is traded, which seems very unlikely. The trade would be to just ship his contract out of town and get him off the books. Toronto may even need to offer a draft pick to go along with it to move him.
It seems more likely that they will opt to terminate his contract and wash their hands of the situation. This isn’t a situation that many teams want surrounding their organization.
