Kämpf has been a key player for Toronto, appearing in nearly every game this season except one. His absence wasn’t because of an injury but was a strategic decision against the Blue Jackets on October 22. It’s uncertain if he got hurt during the recent overtime win versus the Oilers or if he had been enduring it for several games. Despite this, he played without missing shifts and maintained at least 14 minutes on ice in his last four games.
Kämpf signed a four-year contract worth $9.6 million before the free-agent market opened in 2023. Known more for his faceoff skills and penalty-killing rather than scoring, last season was his least impressive since joining Toronto in 2021. He managed only 11 assists, 19 points, and had a -4 rating over 78 games, along with just 79 shots on goal and an average time on ice of 13:29.
Although Kämpf improved his faceoff percentage to 53.6%, not much else changed this season as he hasn’t scored any goals yet, with only three assists and a -2 rating while averaging about 12 minutes per game. Even though he’s still crucial for penalty kills, paying him $2.4 million each year is quite hefty given his limited offensive role.
Lineup Challenges:
With Kämpf placed retroactively on injured reserve (IR), he’s already missed three out of seven required days off IR and will sit out Wednesday’s game against the Golden Knights but could return by Sunday against Utah. This situation leaves Toronto short two regular centers because Auston Matthews is also expected to miss another match due to an upper-body issue.
Fans might wonder how these lineup changes will affect their team’s performance.
Toronto has some players who can switch from wing to center like Connor Dewar or William Nylander; however, they lack extra forwards ready to fill Kämpf’s spot unless coach Craig Berube decides on using eleven forwards plus seven defensemen against Vegas tomorrow night—enter Minten!
Minten was picked first by Toronto during the second round of the draft back in ’22 (38th overall). Initially aiming for opening night roster spots at training camp earlier this year until sidelined by high ankle sprains sustained during rookie camps kept him inactive till late October.
Since coming off injured reserve status into AHL play recently—Minten scored twice alongside two assists tallying four points across five games boasting +4 ratings too! Last year saw him briefly taste NHL action as nineteen-year-old averaging around eleven-and-a-half minutes per game before returning major junior team duties where WHL stats included twenty-two goals plus twenty-six assists totaling forty-eight points over forty-three matches between Kamloops Blazers & Saskatoon Blades whilst captaining Canada’s World Junior Championship squad earning one goal paired alongside two assists spanning five appearances there too!
What do you think about these changes?
