According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Columbus Blue Jackets are a team to watch on the trade market, as GM Don Waddell is reportedly open to trading for a ‘bad contract’ if it means there’s a sweetener involved in the deal. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving should consider contacting Waddell to discuss moving off of David Kampf’s contract.
Kampf is signed through the 2026-27 season at a $2.4 million average annual value. He is averaging 11:10 minutes per game under head coach Craig Berube and has been a healthy scratch earlier in the year, with the defensive-minded center recording just two assists in 12 contests this season. Moving Kampf could give the Maple Leafs more financial flexibility to add an impact player closer to the trade deadline, and alleviate their current roster crunch as they are full with 23 active NHL contracts on their roster, and have several injured players returning to action soon, including the likes of forwards Connor Dewar, Calle Jarnkrok, and towering defenseman Jani Hakanpaa. Both Dewar and Hakanpaa are currently on conditioning stints with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Seravalli shed some light on the Blue Jackets’ aspirations in a recent episode of Daily Faceoff Live. ” It’s not going to be adding in the short term, which isn’t a surprise to Blue Jackets fans. However, he has let teams know that he’s interested in taking on contracts that may be viewed as undesirable, in exchange for assets,” said Seravalli.
“They want to use their cap space to take on deals, but at this point, the ones that have been floated to Don Waddell are guys that have three-to-five years left on their deal, which is fascinating to think about; teams that have made long-term commitments that they’re already unhappy with.”
The Maple Leafs would have to include either a draft pick or prospect to gain the Blue Jackets’ interest and Treliving would likely have to convince Kampf that an opportunity in Columbus could be a great landing spot for him to gain a bigger role with the rebuilding hockey club. Kampf owns a modified 10-team no-trade clause, which runs through next season.
Toronto has Pontus Holmberg who could fill in as the Leafs’ fourth-line center role, and they have Dewar returning soon. Dewar plays a much more in-your-face aggressive style of play, which is something Berube is going to love. Kampf, on the other hand, isn’t a physical presence and so far hasn’t gained the trust of Berube to be a constant in the lineup. There’s also Fraser Minten in the mix, who was assigned to the AHL recently and could be in consideration to be called up at some point this season. And, let’s not forget about Steven Lorentz, who has experience down the middle. Even Jarnkrok could fill in if needed. Needless to say, the Maple Leafs have options and Kampf is expendable.
Keep an eye on these two teams as the Maple Leafs have some roster decisions to make in the coming days, and moving Kampf, and his $2.4 million cap hit could do wonders for Toronto’s trade flexibility closer to the trade deadline in March. Considering their power play struggles, perhaps Treliving should be scrolling the trade market looking for someone new to quarterback the man advantage.
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