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Canucks Notes: Garland, Kämpf, Chytil, Blueger

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The Canucks’ injury woes this season continued in what was a surprisingly resurgent 6-2 win over the Lightning earlier this evening. Vancouver lost winger Conor Garland to an undisclosed injury early in the second period, and he didn’t return. There wasn’t an apparent injury that immediately preceded his departure, but he was involved in a fight with Tampa defender Darren Raddysh earlier in the game – one the 5’10” winger managed to win (video via B/R Open Ice). It didn’t seem like he took enough contact in that scrum to get hurt, but there should be more clarity before Vancouver finishes their back-to-back against the Panthers tomorrow. The 29-year-old Garland has been thrust into top-line duties this season with Evander Kane and Elias Pettersson and has fit the bill, registering a 5-8–13 scoring line in 16 outings while averaging a career-high 20:51 of ice time per game. For a team with five other roster players hurt at the moment and an already below-average offense, his potential for missed time is an especially damaging blow.

More out of Vancouver:

  • Newly-signed center David Kämpf has joined the club on its road trip and could make his Canucks debut tomorrow, general manager Patrik Allvin told reporters today (including Ben Kuzma of Postmedia). Pending Garland’s status, he could be the replacement. It would be the 30-year-old’s first NHL game of the season after getting waived by the Maple Leafs during training camp and eventually having his contract mutually terminated, leading to his $1.1MM pact with Vancouver for the balance of the campaign. He had five goals and 13 points in 59 showings with Toronto last year, but had just one assist in four games with their AHL affiliate in October.
  • Filip Chytil has resumed skating nearly a month after sustaining yet another suspected concussion, Allvin said, although he labeled the center’s progress as “slow.” Chytil, who has centered a line between Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser to begin the year and had three goals through six games, was rocked by the Capitals’ Tom Wilson on Oct. 19 and has been out since. They’re still likely looking at multiple weeks – if not months, given his history – before a return, adding to the list of reasons why Kämpf was brought in for added depth down the middle.
  • Another banged-up center, Teddy Blueger, is also still listed as week-to-week, Allvin said. It’s been a longer-than-expected road to recovery for the Latvian, who got injured the same night as Chytil after scoring a goal. His recurring lower-body issue has limited him to just two appearances this year.

Vancouver Canucks Sign David Kämpf

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David Kämpf’s time on the free agent market didn’t last long. The Vancouver Canucks announced that they’ve signed the recently released center to a one-year, $1.1MM contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.

The news puts to bed some speculation from last night and this morning. A report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman yesterday indicated that the Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, and Pittsburgh Penguins were interested in Kämpf’s services. Additionally, TSN’s Darren Dreger shared earlier today that there were three finalists for Kämpf, with Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic confirming that Vancouver was one of the finalists.

Although a $1MM+ commitment may seem excessive at face value for a player who just had his contract bought out, it’s important to remember that, based on the payment schedule throughout the year, Kämpf’s agreement is prorated through the end of the regular season. It is far closer to a league minimum agreement in reality.

There’s no questioning that the Canucks needed some help down the middle. Even at the beginning of the year, the Canucks were known to be seeking a second-line center, and that was before Filip Chytil went down with another concussion. Coupled with Chytil’s injury, Vancouver has been without Teddy Blueger for the last month.

The Canucks tried to improve the situation by trading for Lukas Reichel in late October, but the gamble has yet to produce the anticipated results. Even with Reichel, Vancouver’s best available centers behind Elias Pettersson are Max Sasson and Aatu Räty. With all respect to those two, it wasn’t a conducive core to competitive results. 

Before Chytil went down with a concussion on October 19th, the Canucks were 4-2-0 through their first six contests. They’ve struggled since with a 4-7-2 record and have dropped to 13th place in the Western Conference, yet are only two points shy of the final wild-card spot. Kämpf shouldn’t be expected to fix most of their troubles to start the year, though he should provide some stability down the middle of Vancouver’s forward core.

Canucks, Penguins Reportedly Interested In David Kämpf

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It’s only been a few hours since David Kämpf had his contract terminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and interested teams are already coming to light. In his recent rendition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins were interested in signing the freshly minted unrestricted free agent.

Of all the teams that could be interested in Kämpf, the Canucks make the most sense. The team is dealing with longer-term injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger, which have further thinned an already depleted center core. Behind Elias Pettersson, the team is utilizing Max Sasson, Aatu Räty, and recently acquired Lukas Reichel as their next three options.

That’s not to suggest that Kämpf should be considered a cure-all to Vancouver’s woes, though he would be an improvement on their existing bottom-six options. The 30-year-old center has scored 31 goals and 85 points in 301 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the last four years, with a 51.7% success rate in the faceoff dot.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s interest may come from familiarity with Kämpf’s game. The Penguins General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, Kyle Dubas, brought Kämpf to the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2021-22 season on a two-year, $3MM contract. Brad Traveling was at the helm when Toronto signed Kämpf to the four-year, $9.6MM deal that was terminated this morning.

Still, the Penguins don’t have a true need for Kämpf outside of the front office’s familiarity. The team is already relatively deep at center with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kevin Hayes as their top-three options, and has put a premium on bringing in younger players — not additional ones that have already cleared the 30-year threshold.

There are a few additional teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, that could use more forward depth in their bottom six. Still, given that teams are already being named, Kämpf shouldn’t expect to remain a UFA for very long.

Maple Leafs, David Kämpf Mutually Terminate Contract

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Nov. 14, 1:08 p.m.: Kämpf has cleared waivers and his contract has been terminated, according to Friedman.

Nov. 13, 12:58 p.m.: The Maple Leafs officially announced Kämpf’s waiver placement. They’ll clear $1.25MM in cap space tomorrow as a result of the move, not his full $2.4MM since he’s already carrying a reduced impact in the minors. Kämpf retains this year’s signing bonus as part of the termination, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Nov. 13, 10:13 p.m.: The Maple Leafs will place center David Kämpf on unconditional waivers this afternoon for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Assuming he clears tomorrow, he’ll be free to sign a new contract with an NHL club at any time.

The 30-year-old Kämpf is in the third season of a four-year, $9.6MM contract. It hasn’t panned out as Toronto general manager Brad Treliving had hoped when he signed it in June 2023. Kämpf has not played for Toronto’s NHL squad this season. His $2.4MM cap hit and the Leafs’ flurry of depth forward additions over the summer left him out of a roster spot when training camp ended, and he landed on standard waivers. After clearing, he was assigned to AHL Toronto for his first minor-league action since the 2017-18 season.

Initially, Kämpf reported to the Marlies. He suited up for their season-opening back-to-back games but didn’t play again until Oct. 26 and 29. After that, Kämpf took a brief leave to mull his options for an NHL return, which the Maple Leafs made clear wouldn’t be in Toronto. The Leafs initially looked to find a trade partner but were unsuccessful. Soon after, they suspended Kämpf without pay as his leave hit the one-week mark. A mutual contract termination became the clear goal, but there was uncertainty over whether Kämpf would need to return a prorated portion of the $1.325MM signing bonus he was given before the season as part of the transaction.

Today’s news indicates the NHL and NHLPA have come to a resolution on that front. Kämpf will now be walking away from the remainder of the $1.075MM base salary he was owed for this season, plus the $2.4MM total compensation he was due in 2026-27.

His four-year contract with the Leafs came on the heels of a career-best season for Kämpf, who’d initially joined the franchise on a two-year, $3MM pact in free agency in 2021. The faceoff and penalty-killing specialist had averaged north of 15 minutes per game in his first two seasons in Toronto, didn’t miss a game, and reached 26 and 27 points, respectively. He’d never hit the 20-point threshold before in his career and hasn’t hit it since.

While still effective on the dot and shorthanded, Kämpf’s offensive liabilities began to contribute to a decreased role. He saw his ice time slashed by nearly two minutes per game in the first year of his extension, and it was further reduced to 12:29 last year, in which injuries and healthy scratches limited him to 59 appearances. Toronto’s trade deadline pickup of Scott Laughton from the Flyers pushed him out of the lineup entirely, and he only played in one out of 13 playoff games for the Leafs, so the writing was on the wall long before this season began.

That said, Kämpf shouldn’t have much trouble finding a new deal. He has 48 goals and 143 points in 536 career NHL games. Considering he’s only started 31.6% of his shifts at even strength in the offensive zone, his relatively tame -16 rating is indicative of his legitimate defensive skill. He’s not overly physical, averaging under one hit per game for his career, but has a 51.4% lifetime average on draws. If he’s willing to take a deal close to league minimum, he should have a multitude of options. Teams plagued with injuries up front – the Canucks and Sabres, in particular – could be among the first to call.

Image courtesy of Alan Poizner-Imagn Images.

Maple Leafs Suspend David Kämpf Without Pay

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Nov. 9th: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported yesterday on the network’s “Saturday Headlines” segment that one of the key issues regarding a potential contract termination for Kämpf has been his signing bonus.

Kämpf was paid a $1.325MM signing bonus earlier this year, and Friedman reported that the NHL and NHLPA are currently “involved” in discussions over whether Kämpf would need to return a portion of that signing bonus in the event of a contract termination.

Friedman noted that “the hope” from each side is that Kämpf’s situation would be sorted out by Monday, but the signing bonus issue could be something that prolongs the process. There does not appear to be any concrete rule regarding what to do with a player’s signing bonus in the event of a mutual contract termination. What to do with that money is typically decided between a player and his contracted team on a case-by-case basis, often with the involvement of the NHL and NHLPA, as is the case in this situation.

Nov. 8th: According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Kämpf and his agent, JP Barry, are exploring all of their options and will decide on Monday. Given that a trade is highly unlikely at this point, Kämpf and the Maple Leafs are likely to agree to a mutual contract termination by the end of the weekend, despite reports indicating otherwise.

Nov. 6th: The Maple Leafs have suspended center David Kämpf without pay for departing their AHL affiliate while on assignment, PuckPedia reports. As such, the $1.25MM cap charge Kämpf incurred while in the minors is temporarily struck from their books until the situation is resolved.

Recently, there was talk of a potential mutual contract termination between Kämpf and the Leafs. The 30-year-old has not suited up for Toronto this season after clearing waivers and heading to the minors late in training camp. He initially accepted the assignment, but the defensive specialist only registered one assist and a -1 rating in four games before leaving the team late last month. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported there’s been “pushback” against a contract termination.

That’s not particularly surprising. Doing so would mean Kämpf walking away from the remainder of his $1.075MM salary for this season, plus the $1.325MM signing bonus and $1.075MM base salary he’s owed for 2026-27 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He’s only just past the halfway point of the four-year, $9.6MM extension he signed with Toronto in 2023.

Others have taken the contract termination approach in the past few years, most notably Brandon Saad, Conor Sheary, and Filip Zadina, in order to remove their albatross contract as an obstacle toward returning to an everyday NHL role. In the vast majority of cases, it’s worked out, at least in terms of the player being able to find an everyday role again. Recouping the money they surrender by doing so doesn’t always happen, though.

It’s not as if Kämpf is completely dead weight. He’s still a serviceable fourth-line piece who can contribute two-plus minutes a game shorthanded. He did fall out of a regular role on a deeper Toronto forward group last season, though. His 59 appearances in 2024-25 were his lowest since the COVID-shortened 2021 season, and he scored five goals and 13 assists with a -1 rating. He’s 51.4% on faceoffs for his career, and while he doesn’t have a history of strong possession impacts, he started over 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone at even strength in all of his four years as a Maple Leaf so far.

Latest On David Kampf

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Over the offseason, the Maple Leafs were looking to find a new home for veteran center David Kampf but no trade came to fruition.  As a result, he was ultimately waived in training camp and, after going unclaimed, he was assigned to AHL Toronto.

Considering that GM Brad Treliving signed the 30-year-old to a four-year, $9.6MM contract a little more than two years ago, this was an outcome that wasn’t expected.  The plan was that he’d continue to anchor the fourth line while providing strong work at the faceoff dot and on the penalty kill.  But his role was reduced last season under Craig Berube and other lower-cost players now occupy his spot on the roster.

This season, Kampf had only played in four of seven games with the Marlies heading into the weekend.  He didn’t suit up on the road in Chicago either as  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link) that the veteran is taking a couple of days to ponder his future.

In recent years, we’ve seen a handful of players walk away from guaranteed money in the hopes of getting a more favorable opportunity in the NHL or simply to get back into the NHL.  Among that group are Conor Sheary, Brandon Saad, and Filip Zadina.  It’s possible that Kampf is pondering a similar route although he’d be walking away from more than $3MM in money owed between his salary this season and next plus next season’s signing bonus.

While that possibility is on the table, TSN’s Darren Dreger recently noted that the Maple Leafs are still trying to find a new home for Kampf.  However, with the team needing to free up cap space to accommodate Joseph Woll’s pending return from LTIR, they’re not necessarily in a spot where they can afford to take a similarly-priced player back.  Meanwhile, retaining salary would also make getting back to compliance a little trickier although they are dealing with a $1.25MM dead cap charge while Kampf is in the minors.  Technically, retaining less than that amount would still save them some cap room but it would tie up a salary retention slot through June 30, 2027.

If Woll’s return is the pressure point on the team, that could still be a week or two away as it’s expected that he’ll need a conditioning stint with the Marlies, one that would last three games but could be extended by two more with league approval.  However, if Kampf doesn’t want to wait that long, he could try to force the issue sooner but he’d likely have to walk away from the rest of his contract to do so.  If that were to happen, his contract would come off Toronto’s books entirely beyond what has already been accrued over the first few weeks of the season.

 

Waivers: 10/3/25

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Twelve new names are on Friday’s waiver list, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports relays. Out of the 22 names waived yesterday, three were claimed: Daemon Hunt heads from Columbus to Minnesota, Cole Schwindt from Vegas to Florida, and Ilya Solovyov from Calgary to Colorado.

Today’s placements are as follows:

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
D Michael Callahan
F Georgii Merkulov
D Victor Söderström
F Riley Tufte

Carolina Hurricanes

F Givani Smith

Tampa Bay Lightning

G Brandon Halverson

Toronto Maple Leafs

F David Kämpf
D William Villeneuve

Utah Mammoth

G Matt Villalta

Vancouver Canucks

F Nils Åman

Washington Capitals

F Sheldon Rempal

Canadian Notes: Stolarz, Leafs, Canucks

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More details have been revealed about the looming contract extension for Toronto Maple Leafs starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz. The latest reports claim that Stolarz’s next deal will land in the realm of a four-year, $16MM contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes. That figure would come in just shy of the five-year deals recently signed by Kevin Lankinen and Karel Vejmelka, who served as comparable contracts in the negotiation process.

It’s no surprise to see the 31-year-old Stolarz leaning towards a team-friendly deal. He was a goaltending phenom for the Leafs last year, recording a 21-8-3 record and .926 save percentage through 36 games. It was an impressive follow-up from Stolarz’s 16 wins and .925 Sv% in 27 games of the 2023-24 season. But those two seasons, along with 28 games in 2021-22, were the most he’s played in a single NHL season. He has yet to prove he can stand up to a full starting workload, despite defaulting to that position for Toronto when healthy. A contract extension and bid of full health will put Stolarz in a position to prove his might over a full year as soon as next season.

Other notes from the Great North:

  • Sticking in Toronto, it appears the team could soon shop around some of their surplus bottom-six wingers. Players like Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, and Nicholas Robertson could end up on the trade block, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period on the latest episode of Hello Hockey. Toronto is certainly facing a wealth of veteran wingers who have failed to break out of depth minutes – a growing problem as the team looks to promote top prospects like Easton Cowan. Clearing out some space could put the Leafs into position to stock the shelves, and bet on their top youngsters, ahead of a year where they’ll need big performances without 100-point scorer Mitch Marner.
  • Pagnotta went on to share that the Vancouver Canucks could be one of the teams looking to reel in bottom-six talent. Vancouver is expected to lean on youngsters like Linus Karlsson and Aatu Raty, as well as depth veterans Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger, when the season kicks off. There’s certainly opportunity for upgrading that depth sooner rather than later, though reeling in a hardy impact could cost Vancouver valuable draft capital or a solid prospect.

International Notes: Radulov, Simashev, Forsell, Kämpf

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According to a report out of Russia, Alexander Radulov is transferring from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to SKA St. Petersburg only a day after winning the second Gagarin Cup championship of his career and being named the playoffs’ MVP. The news confirms that Radulov will suit up in his fourth consecutive KHL season after leaving the NHL after the 2021-22 season.

It’ll be a one-and-done year for Radulov. He joined Lokomotiv after two years as captain for the Ak Bars Kazan, scoring 41 goals and 97 points in 120 games from 2022 to 2024. His scoring dissipated this year, putting together an 18-goal, 34-point season in 60 contests.

Still, Radulov left some gas in the tank for the postseason. He finished fourth in playoff scoring with seven goals and 16 points in 21 games, leading the next closest on Lokomotiv by two points. He’ll join a St. Petersburg club that hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals in two years and has former NHL players such as Mikhail Grigorenko, Valentin Zykov, and Nikita Zaitsev on the roster.

Other international notes:

  • Confirming a report from a month ago, Utah Mammoth prospect Dmitri Simashev said he’ll be coming to North America next season (Tweet Link). Alongside Radulov and fellow Utah prospect Daniil But, Simashev became a first-time winner of the Gagarin Cup yesterday. Still, his offensive struggles continued throughout the KHL postseason, tallying only one assist in 21 playoff contests with a -1 rating. There shouldn’t be any guarantees that Simashev will make the Mammoth’s roster out of training camp in September.
  • Per a report from Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks are content with letting 2021 seventh-round pick, Lucas Forsell, join a different organization this summer. Vancouver selected Forsell with the 201st overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, and he’s been playing SHL’s Färjestad BK since. Still, it’s unlikely Forsell will gain much traction once his contractual rights expire on June 1st, given he’s failed to score more than 10 points in any SHL season since being drafted.
  • Team Czechia couldn’t defeat Team Sweden today despite having an extra reinforcement. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported yesterday that Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf joined his home country for the quarterfinals. He managed one shot on net in 17:09 of ice time with a -1 rating in the loss.

Atlantic Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Bjorkstrand, Söderblom

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Sunday: Toronto head coach Craig Berube expects Oliver Ekman-Larsson to play tonight, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. In 77 games on the season, the defender produced 29 points and a plus-14 rating. He missed the final four games of the season with an upper-body injury.

Saturday: Defenseman Jani Hakanpää will be the only rostered player on the Toronto Maple Leafs who won’t be available for the team in their Round One matchup against the Ottawa Senators. In an article from Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Fox reports that defensemen Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forwards David Kämpf and Max Pacioretty will be available for Toronto on Monday.

Given that the Maple Leafs have few issues scoring goals, McCabe and Ekman-Larsson are the most notable returnees, particularly concerning the team’s penalty kill. Despite finishing the year with a 77.87% success rate, Toronto’s kill average dropped to 75.00% throughout their final seven games without McCabe. The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill ranked just below the NHL average of 78.36%, which could be an avenue to success for Ottawa, given their capable 11th-ranked powerplay.

With respect to the Senators and their season, they arguably present Toronto with their best opportunity to reach Round Two of the postseason for the second time in nine years. After finishing the regular season on a 12-2-1 tear, having a wholly healthy roster for Round One will do nothing but help the Maple Leafs’ chances.

Other injury notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper confirmed that trade deadline acquisition Oliver Bjorkstrand won’t be available for the team’s Round One matchup against the Florida Panthers (Tweet Link). Bjorkstrand sustained a lower-body injury a few days ago, and his Round One availability was in doubt, given that his recovery timeline was designated as week-to-week. The Herning, Denmark native scored five goals and nine points in 18 games for the Lightning after being acquired from the Seattle Kraken before the trade deadline.
  • According to Rachel Hopmayer of CBS Detroit, Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Söderblom is expected to join the team’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the Calder Cup playoffs once his undisclosed injury has healed. In his first extended stay in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, Söderblom scored four goals and 11 points in 26 games for the Red Wings after being recalled in late January. His addition will boost the Griffins’ postseason chances, given Söderblom scored five goals and 17 points in 38 games with Grand Rapids earlier this season.

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