The Toronto Maple Leafs are staring at quite the conundrum. They have an excess of veteran forwards likely out of jobs this season. The club is trying to trade them, but the market doesn’t really seem deep for any of them.
But there’s one forward that could be on the move. The Maple Leafs could slightly take advantage of a division rival’s sudden needs and make them pay for center depth. The player in question is David Kampf, and the division rival is the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers need help down the middle after losing Aleksander Barkov for the season. While Kampf is hardly a replacement for Barkov, he could make up some of the minutes the Panthers’ captain has left behind.
So, here’s a look at the trade idea:
Maple Leafs get:
2026 second-round pick
Sandis Vilmanis, F
Panthers get:
David Kampf
At first glance, the return for Kampf seems astronomical. But the Panthers may have no choice but to pay the Maple Leafs with a draft pick and a mid-tier prospect. Florida doesn’t have its first-round draft pick this season, but has two second-rounders.
Plus, including Vilmanis could be a decent replacement for Kampf. The 21-year-old is a former fifth-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft. He showed plenty of potential in the OHL. He spent last season with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL, notching 27 points in 61 games.
Maple Leafs Would Do Well to Get Something Back for Kampf
The Maple Leafs would do well to get something back for Kampf. Toronto risks losing the veteran forward if it places him on waivers for nothing. While getting his cap hit off the books wouldn’t be a bad thing, the Maple Leafs would like to get something in return.
Of course, helping a division rival wouldn’t be precisely ideal, but business is business. If the Maple Leafs can maximize their return on Kampf, then so be it. The Leafs need to clear out bodies, and making a solid trade would be better than just giving a potentially useful depth piece away.
Meanwhile, the Panthers could be desperate enough to give up much more than they bargained for. But unless they’re willing to roll with the lineup they’ve got, the Panthers will need to figure out something to bolster their lineup moving forward.
Toronto Might Balk at Dealing with Division Rivals
There’s always the chance the Maple Leafs might balk at dealing with a division rival. After all, the Panthers are a direct competitor. The loss of Barkov for the season and Matthew Tkachuk for a couple of months, at least, opens a door for the Maple Leafs to exploit.
So, helping a key division rival get stronger may not be ideal. Leafs GM Brad Treliving might opt for moving Kampf to a completely different club, like a Western Conference team, which may not influence the Maple Leafs’ path to the Stanley Cup.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen what the Maple Leafs can do with Kampf moving forward. Perhaps there might be another team out there willing to pay the price for depth.