Maple Leafs Forward's Fate With the Team Confirmed by Head Coach Craig Berube
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
After having a difficult time adjusting to new systems at the beginning of the season, Leafs head coach Craig Berube has praised David Kampf for his recent performance.
Kampf had a difficult start to the season after being mentioned in numerous off-season trade rumors; he even found himself moving down the Leafs' penalty kill depth chart. Since the Leafs needed to free up roster and cap space before the Timothy Liljegren trade, his lack of use fueled more trade rumors.
However, Kampf has recently returned to his typical role of killing penalties. He and the Leafs were instrumental in Tuesday's victory over the Boston Bruins, as they stopped all six of the Bruins' power plays. After the game, Berube praised Kampf's recent performance and virtually assured everyone that he wouldn't be traded anytime soon.
"He has been really good lately - like, for a while now. He was strong on the faceoff dot, which was good. It was more him getting to understand our penalty kill, the trigger points, and things like that. He has really taken on that role. That is his role, and he relishes it. He is doing a great job for us."
It's difficult to overlook the value Kampf currently adds to the bottom six, even though releasing him from his $2.4 million cap hit for this season and the next two would help the Leafs overcome cap restrictions and give them more leeway to distribute Max Pacioretty's bonus overages from his one-year contract, which will carry over into the following season.
In addition to benefiting the team, Kampf's recent improvement in play will enable the Leafs to gradually get Fraser Minten back into games after he suffered an ankle sprain, starting this weekend against the Marlies. It will be very helpful not to have to rush him up to the NHL.
Kampf has emerged as one of the league's top defensive centers since joining the Leafs prior to the 2021-2022 campaign, winning nearly 52% of his draws during his four seasons with the team. Kampf has averaged 14:33 ice time per game in 255 games while scoring 74 points and scoring 26 goals.
Kampf signed a four-year contract last off-season, and he is currently in the second year of it It's pretty obvious that Berube appreciates what Kampf has to offer, and if he and Brad Treliving had discussed their roster structure frequently, I'm sure Berube would have mentioned how much he values having a player like Kampf at the bottom of his lineup.
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