Situation Involving Maple Leafs and David Kampf Takes an Unexpected Turn

Sent down to the Toronto Marlies in favour of saving some cap space and allowing Easton Cowan to begin the season with the big club, David Kampf was suspended by the Leafs on November 2nd for taking an unapproved leave of absence.

At the time, it was reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that the 30-year-old had left the impression on his Marlies teammates that he would not be back.

Across the league, it was believed that the Leafs and Kampf, along with his agent JP Barry, would be able to find a resolution by the end of the weekend.

Unfortunately, the signing bonus in his contract has caused a bit of a hurdle for the two sides.

With Kampf and the Leafs initially hoping to have a resolution to his situation by Monday afternoon, according to The Fourth Period's Dave Pagnotta, that is not the case.

Over the weekend, the Leafs lost Scott Laughton to a suspected concussion.

Laughton's injury, coupled with the fact the club lost two very winnable games due to defensive mistakes, may have the Leafs re-thinking their options in moving on from the defensively responsible Kampf.

With how much the team has struggled defensively, it may make sense to bring him up. Sure, he's an expensive fourth-liner, but if the Leafs are lacking in the defensive play, perhaps reintegrating Kampf is the smart play here.