The Vancouver Canucks’ desperation reached a new level on Saturday. The club announced the signing of former Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf to a one-year, $1.1 million deal, PuckPedia reported.
The deal is hardly surprising, as the insane number of injuries plaguing the Canucks this season has ravaged the team’s overall depth. Vancouver currently has four regular forwards out, including second-line center Filip Chytil.
While Aatu Raty has come into his own on the third line, playing Max Sasson on the second line and Lukas Reichel as the 4C has left some question marks for the club. So, adding Kampf makes sense for the Canucks.
The 30-year-old Czech forward is a defensive specialist and penalty kill whiz. That situation bodes well as the club could use improved defense across the board and more responsible play on the penalty kill.
Moreover, the Canucks are riding a three-game losing streak and fading fast in the Pacific Division. That’s why GM Patrik Allvin made the best possible move at the moment. Signing Kampf seemed reasonable as it didn’t cost the team any draft picks or players.
The question now is: When will Kampf get into the lineup? He hasn’t played since the preseason. When Toronto demoted him to the AHL, he failed to report to the AHL Marlies. That situation prompted the Leafs’ termination of his contract.
So, Kampf will need time to become readjusted to the game before hitting the ice. While it may seem unlikely that Kampf gets into the lineup on Sunday in Tampa or Monday in Florida, perhaps debuting at home against the Dallas Stars next Thursday night might make the most sense for Kampf.
Canucks Overpaid to Get Kampf in Free Agency
It’s worth pointing out that the Canucks seemed to have slightly overpaid to get Kampf. According to Elliotte Friedman in his 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Montreal Canadiens were also interested in landing Kampf in free agency.
However, the Habs seemingly failed to give Kampf an offer enticing enough to bring him on board. So, the Canucks had to pony up the cash to bring the UFA forward into the fold.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Canadiens have a major need down the middle. The club lost Alex Newhook earlier this week. Still, the Canadiens’ current injury situation isn’t nearly as desperate as the Canucks’. That’s why the Habs weren’t as keen on making the best possible offer.
There’s One Caveat with Kampf
While David Kampf is a decent NHL center, there’s one major caveat. Kampf is hardly known as a scoring forward. He provides little to no offense. That situation should be a concern for the Canucks. The club needs scoring, but it won’t likely come from Kampf.
Nevertheless, adding Kampf is the best the Canucks can do at this point. The center market is still clogged up. Teams are reluctant to part ways with some of their players. It’s still too early in the season for some clubs to pack it in for the year.
But the Canucks need to make a move now. Kampf was the best available option, and so Patrik Allvin did his job. Let’s hope Kampf hits the ground running as he looks to prove the Maple Leafs made a major mistake by letting him walk.
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