The Toronto Maple Leafs have just a couple days to finalize their roster for the start of the 2025-26 NHL season and we know at least one player who won't be on it.
As part of the daily dump of players on the waiver wire during these final days of the preseason, the Maple Leafs have placed center David Kampf on waivers Friday afternoon. While it isn't impossible for them to still keep him around after he clears, we assume that this is to then assign him down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
David Kämpf (TOR) is among the players placed on waivers today.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 3, 2025
Kampf, 30, played a total of 59 games for the Leafs last season, scoring five goals and earning 13 points while averaging 12:24 TOI.
The timing of this waiver placement is just slightly strange. At Leafs practice Friday morning, after the announcement that center Scott Laughton is out week-to-week after suffering an injury in Thursday night's preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings, it was Kampf that took his spot on the fourth line. Right there, the veteran Czech center was in between Steven Lorentz and Easton Cowan on the projected fourth line to start the season and it somewhat made sense as a temporary option.
Unfortunately, it was either head coach Craig Berube not liking what he saw during practice or management knowing ultimately that it is worth it financially to demote Kampf to the AHL -- whatever it was, it resulted in the center being placed on waivers.
With the new additions like Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli, the Leafs already did not have a lot of open positions. Kampf was already fighting an uphill battle after Laughton joined the team at the trade deadline last season, and now with an entirely new trio for the Leafs, all he could do was hope that his defense-first game would keep him as an extra forward. But, it might have been too tempting to get some cap relief with him down in the AHL.
Kampf has two years remaining on a contract that carries a $2.4-million AAV. With him down with the Marlies, the Leafs do not get his full cap hit removed from the books, but will get the maximum buriable amount of $1.15 million free from their cap. So, basically, with Kampf down in the minors the Leafs will still carry a $1.25 million worth of dead cap space. But, if they didn't have any use for him on the roster, it's better than nothing.
Now, we just have to wonder who actually takes Laughton's spot as fourth-line center.