Chicago Blackhawks Officially Sign David Kampf
As reported by Darren Dreger of TSN last week, the Chicago Blackhawks have officially signed David Kampf to a two-year contract. The entry-level deal will expire following the 2018-19 season, after which Kampf will be a restricted free agent. The 22-year old was one of the more dangerous offensive players in his native Czech Republic last season, and will be expected to carry some of that over to North America.
After playing two full seasons without much offensive presence, Kampf broke out with 31 points in 52 games this season and immediately got the attention of NHL GMs. He provides NHL size and will be the next unheralded prospect that the Blackhawks try to turn into a legitimate role player. Kampf is not Artemi Panarin, but he could provide some depth on the wing for a team that relies on entry-level deals each year in order to afford their highly-paid core. With Panarin’s $6MM/year extension kicking in next season, it was crucial to find players like Kampf, John Hayden and Nick Schmaltz to fill in the roster gaps.
While there is no guarantee Kampf will be able to provide anything in the NHL, he may even get a chance to try and show his effectiveness next to Jonathan Toews. If the Blackhawks intend to put the Panarin-Artem Anisimov–Patrick Kane line back together, they’ll still need to try and find full-time fits for Toews next season. Schmaltz, Hayden and Ryan Hartman have all taken turns trying to fill the hole that’s been left since Marian Hossa started his decline, and since the Hawks will struggle to afford Richard Panik‘s next contract, both Toews-wings could be empty.
Chicago Blackhawks To Sign David Kampf To Two-Year Deal
On the heels of his report that the Maple Leafs had agreed to a deal with Swedish prospect Carl Grundstrom, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Chicago Blackhawks have inked their own European forward. David Kampf of Chomutov Pirati in the Czech league will sign a two-year entry-level deal with the Hawks soon.
Kampf, 22, went undrafted before his breakout this season in the Czech league. The winger scored 15 goals and 31 points in 52 games, and has turned heads around the NHL. He was actually listed #36 among international skaters in 2014, but was never selected. His signing would add another young lottery ticket to the Hawks system as they continue to try and fill in the holes around their superstar core.
The Hawks were also linked recently to Calle Rosen, another international free agent and have been in on many of the NCAA names this spring. With the team having so much money locked up in Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and others they have to use every avenue available to find talent. They’ve done an excellent job of it, integrating up to six rookies at times in their lineup this season but still coming out on top of the Western Conference.
Friedman’s Latest: Kampf, Olympics, Tallon
The Avalanche, Blackhawks, and Golden Knights are among the teams that are believed to be interested in Czech free agent forward David Kampf, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). He notes his situation could be one to watch over the next 24 hours which suggests Kampf could be close to making a decision on where to sign.
The 22 year old center/right winger is coming off a career year with Pirati Chomutov of the Czech Extraliga. This season, he posted 15 goals and 16 assists in 52 regular season games while adding three goals and seven assists in 13 postseason contests so far.
Kampf will be limited to signing a two year entry level contract wherever he decides to sign. As he is still participating in the Czech playoffs plus the fact that he would have to clear entry waivers if he wanted to play in the NHL this season, it’s a certainty that the deal won’t begin until 2017-18.
Here are some other notes courtesy of Friedman via the weekly Saturday Headlines segment (video link):
- While the IIHF is asking for a final decision from the league with regards to Olympic participation by the end of April at the latest, Friedman expects a decision to be made much sooner than that, noting that it’s “very possible” that the announcement will come at some point this week. If it doesn’t, Friedman expects that a call will be made one way or the other by April 10th. With the playoffs fast approaching, the league would be wise to get this storyline over and done with before the puck drops on postseason play to avoid any potential distractions.
- Although there has been some suggestion that the Islanders might ask the Panthers for an opportunity to speak to Dale Tallon, Florida’s President of Hockey Operations, Friedman noted that New York hasn’t yet sought permission to do so. He also doesn’t believe that the Panthers would allow Tallon to speak with the Isles as they plan to bring him back next season. Florida’s front office situation could shuffle once again this offseason if interim head coach and GM Tom Rowe brings in a new bench boss as expected which could result in Tallon having a lesser role in hockey operations as he reportedly did at the start of this year.