Pressure Mounts on GM Brad Treliving to Trade Key Maple Leafs Forward

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Chris Gerics
November 4, 2024 (11:40)

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As the days go by, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving needs to make a decision regarding his roster and cap situation, and trading an expensive David Kampf is critical.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have both a roster and a cap crunch to deal with. The imminent returns of Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpaa, and Connor Dewar should help bring some reinforcements to the bottom part of the lineup that has struggled both offensively and defensively. Both men come at a cost though, and Toronto has a few options to clear up enough space. They could trade recently acquired Matt Benning to take $1.25M off the books, and waive Philippe Myers to save an additional $775K, or they could trade a very expensive fourth-line forward.

David Kampf is a role player, through and through. Not offensively flashy, he plays the game with heart, toughness, and a defensive mindset. A good penalty killer with great faceoff mechanics, he can be relied on to provide bottom-six defense at center with the possibility of getting a few goals here and there at times. The problem is, that Kampf comes at a cost of $2.4M for the next two seasons, and Toronto has several players who are coming into the team who can do his job at a much cheaper rate.

David Kampf's Reunion With The Chicago Blackhawks

There have been several reports regarding the Chicago Blackhawks need for a center, with Elliotte Friedman and Dave Pagnotta discussing that GM Kyle Davidson is willing to move draft capital for the ability to acquire a true center. Currently, Chicago's being helmed by Nick Foligno on their second line. Kampf is younger, not on an expiring contract, and a better faceoff and defensive option for the Blackhawks, though if Chicago were to acquire him, a line with Kampf, Teuvo Teravainen, and former Maple Leaf Ilya Mikhayev could make for a very solid hybrid of offense and defense for the Blackhawks.

David Pagnotta spoke about Chicago's need for a 2C and while Kampf wouldn't be a 2C, he would be an improvement over any internal solutions:

«They don't have an internal solution yet. Even though they've got some young kids in the system, they might end up being on the wing. So, they're going to keep looking to see if they can add a piece, but add Chicago to the mix of teams that would love to add a 2C in that early-to-mid-20s range at some point over the next several months.»

Kampf isn't early-to-mid twenties but he's in the middle of his prime, and a reunion with the Blackhawks could help kickstart his offensive production again. Kampf has had a 26-point season in his first year in Toronto, showing that not only can he be a decent playmaker but he can put the puck in the net; scoring a career-high 11 goals. Given his linemates in Toronto are not offensively minded, Kampf is muzzled by his defense-only role. He would provide a different approach to offense, using possession as a means of generating scoring chances.

Toronto needs to find room on their roster for the returns of Jarnkrok, Hakanpaa, and Dewar quickly, and the fact they can get two birds with one stone by opening up roster spots and cap space, GM Brad Treliving should be on the phone ASAP trying to find a deal for his $2.4M role-player.