David Kampf is not only going to be out for tonight’s game but also won’t be available for this week.
Keefe says David Kampf will not be available this week with an undisclosed injury. Mentions that the MRI found something that usually takes a couple of weeks to recover but it’s already kind have been a week with the break.
He will be day-to-day after that. @BodogCA
— David Alter (@dalter) February 5, 2024
This comes a day after Kampf was absent from the Leafs’ first practice after the All-Star break where Sheldon Keefe told reporters afterwards that it was due to him having a lingering ailment suffered in their last game against the Jets before the bye week. Kampf got an MRI done to assess the damage and the results confirmed that he will be out for the next three games at minimum.
His absence will certainly be felt for the next few games as despite his struggles so far this season, he has been a vital component of the shutdown line. It was certainly noticeable when he was a healthy scratch back in late December against the Hurricanes, so this will be a huge test for the bottom six from a defensive standpoint. Given the lack of defensively responsible options up with the main team currently, it’s fair to wonder if they go look at the waiver wire for some short-term help (former Leafs draft pick Dominic Toninato could be up for grabs later today).
If there is a silver lining to this setback, he could be back at some point next week so expect him to return to the lineup either against the Flyers or Ducks.
In 46 games so far this season, Kampf has eight points (four goals and four assists) which is a far cry from his 27 points from a year ago.
Keefe says Woll is on track to middle of February “to get back into more full involvement and make a determination for his status for games from there. Taking it a day at a time as we work toward that. He is not anywhere close to game action.” #Leafs
— Terry Koshan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) February 5, 2024
On a more positive note, the timeline for Joseph Woll’s return to the crease has now been made more clear. He is still not close to being ready for game action as Keefe noted, but Woll should be back by mid-February and that will mark a huge boost to the goaltending depth that has been through quite the roller coaster in his absence.
Martin Jones carried the bulk of the starts at first and he did his part to hold the fort, including a week stretch where he only gave up two goals. Once he started to regress, Ilya Samsonov took over right in line with him getting some confidence back after a disastrous month of December which culminated in him passing through waivers. Because there is no telling how Woll will do when he is given the green light to play again, it might make sense for the Leafs to run three goalies upon his return although the next few weeks could also determine which of Jones and Samsonov could stick with the main group.
You can expect to see Woll back in action during the four-game road trip out west since that will give him an additional two weeks to get prepared.
Before his injury in early December, Woll compiled a record of 8-5-1, posting a .916 SV% and a 2.80 GAA across 15 appearances.
Stats from Hockey-Reference.com.
