3 Toronto Maple Leafs That Will Regress in 2023-24

David Kampf

David Kampf had been the perfect third or fourth-line center and penalty kill specialist for the past two seasons with the Leafs.

In addition to his superb face-off skills and play while a man short, Kampf has managed to put up surprising offensive numbers at the same time. His two most productive seasons in the NHL actually came in the past two seasons with the Leafs, including a career-high in goals with 11 in 2021-22, and in points with 27 in 2022-23.

(All stats from hockeydb.com and naturalstattrick.com)

But what one should take note of is the fact that he was able to accomplish it with the likes of Ondrej Kase, Pierre Engvall, and Alexander Kerfoot as his main linemates during that time, as all three definitely possess the offensive potential that could complement Kampf’s style of play well.

However, for the 2023-24 season, it appears as though his role will be mainly as a fourth-line center, with grinders Noah Gregor and Ryan Reaves flanking him.

If the Leafs intend to use this setup for the majority of the season, which has been pretty much set in their original plans, one could expect a huge decline in production by Kampf for the 2023-24 season, as the offensive potential on his line would definitely be at a huge drop-off compared to what he had before.

But if the Leafs intend to experiment and elevate Kampf to be with more solid offensive players from time to time, like he was last game playing with Knies and Max Domi, the decrease in production probably won’t be as steep.

Nevertheless, just don’t expect Kampf to display his offensive prowess like he did the past couple of seasons, as he will most likely regress more towards his career average of around 15-16 points for his output this year.