Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf is likely to be placed on waivers due to increased forward depth. If assigned to the Toronto Marlies, $1.15 million of his $2.4 million salary can be buried in the AHL while $1.25 million would remain on the NHL salary cap. Teams could claim Kampf as a veteran fourth-line centre, but his $2.4M average annual value over two seasons may deter some clubs. The rising salary cap reduces that deterrent, creating a modest market outside Toronto. The Buffalo Sabres are a plausible destination given cap room and limited secondary scoring, and recent drafts produced forwards like Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittlestadt, Brandon Hagel and Jack Eichel.
If the Leafs send Kampf to the Toronto Marlies, they'll be able to bury $1.15 million of his salary in the American Hockey League, but will still be forced to keep the rest of his $1.25 million against the salary cap. That's not the biggest salary cap dump in the world, but it's still obviously more you'd like to pay to bury Kampf's contract in the salary cap world.
Although it's rich like I mentioned, there are a handful of teams that could use a veteran centre on their roster who have plenty of cap space. With the salary cap rising this year and next year, a $2.4M fourth-liner doesn't look as bad as it once did, so I feel like there's a market for Kampf, just not in Toronto.
Collection
[
|
...
]