The Toronto Maple Leafs have won just two playoff series since signing John Tavares to a historic contract in 2018. What was supposed to start a competitive run started a disappointing stretch of early playoff exits. They lost Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights this offseason and picked up a lot of forwards to try and replace him. Now, the Maple Leafs are looking to trade David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok before the season begins, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
“Also on the Leafs, forwards David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok remain available for trade,” Pagnotta reported.
Kampf has two years left at an average annual value of $2.4 million. He has a ten-team no-trade list for the 2025-26 season, but no trade protection for the final year. While it would be simpler to trade him a year from now, they want to fix the logjam they have on the wings this year. According to Puckpedia, the Maple Leafs have 14 forwards under contract for this season.
Jarnkrok only has one year left on his deal, worth $2.1 million with a ten-team no-trade list. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, so the Maple Leafs could trade him just to get something for the asset. He only scored seven points in 19 games last season, and has 67 points in 144 games in Toronto.
The teams interested in these wingers are only teams in the basement of the league. The San Jose Sharks already bailed out the Maple Leafs by taking on Ryan Reaves' deal. So could they call their former buddy Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins? They have expressed interest in Nick Robertson, who Dubas drafted, and could take one of these veterans as well.
The Maple Leafs will still have incredibly high expectations when the season begins. They open the season on October 8 at home against the Montreal Canadiens.
