When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed David Kampf to a two-year contract in the summer of 2021 many Leaf fans would have had to google his name. Kampf's game isn't flashy, he's a good faceoff man, with good defensive awareness but lacks finishing ability.
Kampf outperformed his contract in his two seasons with Toronto, setting career highs in goals and points. General manager Brad Treliving and Kampf agreed to a four -year contract extension this summer with a raise from his $1.5M cap hit to $2.4M. Fans raised their eye brows at the dollar figure, with Toronto's cap situation and where Kampf fits on the depth chart it's tough to stomach.
Toronto have hit a rough patch in their season going 1-5 in their last stretch of games. Defensive mistakes and spotty goaltending have really cost them. After their 6-5 loss to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, Sheldon Keefe set a message to the group deciding that Kämpf would be a healthy scratch for Saturday's game due to his defensive mistakes.