Reporter reveals that the Leafs may be shopping one of their forwards to clear some cap space
It's no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the process of scouring the trade market in an attempt to secure reinforcements for their blueline. Part of the problem is that a) top-4 defensemen don't come cheap, and b) any deal to acquire a significant upgrade might also require the Leafs to clear some cap space, even with John Klingberg's $4.15M buried on LTIR for the year.
Normally, if the Leafs wanted to reach for a player who was a little out of their price range, they'd opt to pay a little more in exchange for the opposing team to retain some salary to make the money work. However, this season, it seems as though retained salary is coming at a premium cost and it has already cost the Leafs a deal for Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev.
As Elliotte Friedman pointed out last week, the Flames didn't feel as though they'd be required to retain salary to move either Zadorov or Tanev, and thus, when the Leafs wanted them to retain salary on both, the Flames put a premium on that retention. In the end, the Leafs didn't feel comfortable paying what Calgary was asking and, as a result, Zadorov was moved to Vancouver, who didn't need the Flames to retain a cent.
As far as whom the Leafs might look to move to clear some space, The Leafs Nation's Nick Alberga has revealed that he his sources have informed him that David Kampf's name is currently out there.
Kampf signed a 4-year extension with the Leafs at the end of June, which pays him $2.4M per season. That may be a tad too rich for a 4th liner, which could be why Alberga mentioned that Kampf's name is being discussed in trade rumours.
At this point, there has been no mention of which teams might potentially have an interest in Kampf, but with the Leafs so hard up for defensemen right now, it wouldn't exactly be shocking to see Kampf dealt for the cap savings that such a move could create.
Kampf has recorded just 5 points through 23 games thus far this season.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 764 ANSWERS Reporter reveals that the Leafs may be shopping one of their forwards to clear some cap space Would you be okay with the Leafs trading David Kampf to open up $2.4M in cap space? | ||
| Yes | 379 | 49.6 % |
| No | 221 | 28.9 % |
| As long as they don't just give him away | 164 | 21.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
