The Toronto Maple Leafs are exploring ways to trade two of their depth forwards this season. In one situation, the team wants to shed salary. In the other, Toronto is looking to bring back a player of similar quality. Both conditions are creating complications for general manager Brad Treliving.
The Urgency to Trade David Kampf
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in the latest TSN Insider Trading report that Toronto is looking to trade both David Kampf and Nicholas [Nick] Robertson.
When it comes to Kampf, the objective is to simply free up cap space by moving the veteran forward. Currently in the AHL, Kampf’s primary value to the Maple Leafs is in the financial flexibility his departure could provide. The team is less concerned with what he brings on the ice, more with what moving him could do when it comes time to make other moves.
“It’s more about just getting off the money for David Kampf,” Dreger noted. While Kampf remains a reliable depth option, the Leafs see an opportunity to relieve cap pressure and use the $2.4 million that comes off the books if he’s traded elsewhere on the roster.
Kampf’s name has been out there for some time. The Maple Leafs realize that he’s overpaid for what he’s bringing, and with the sheer number of forwards the team has on its struggling roster, his money might be better spent elsewhere.
A Robertson Trade is More Complicated
Nick Robertson is also under evaluation, but moving him is a bit more complicated, simply because of what the Maple Leafs are looking for in return.
The 24-year-old forward, who has shown flashes of top-six potential but has primarily been a bottom-six player this season, is a player the team has the patience to wait on, but making a trade is becoming more challenging to do. Currently in the press box, Robertson is being viewed as a tradeable asset if the right fit emerges. The problem is, the more he sits and the less he produces, the less likely the Leafs are to get anything of value back in a trade.
Related: 3 Positives & Negatives From Maple Leafs’ Loss to the Blue Jackets
Sources indicate the Leafs are seeking a player of similar age in return, which has severely limited the options for potential trades. There are teams willing to look at Robertson and could see him as a strong option for a reclamation project, but not if the cost associated with acquiring him is high or the player sent back to Toronto could turn out to be a difference-maker.
For Toronto, there may come a time when they have to make a difficult choice: get what they can and live with the return, or wait, knowing there may be no return at all if Robertson doesn’t start producing regularly. Of course, at that time, the Maple Leafs will have to decide if keeping a productive Robertson becomes a better option than trading him.
As the season unfolds, the Maple Leafs’ front office will continue to monitor the market for both Kampf and Robertson. Treliving is reportedly prepared to act if the right opportunity arises. Whether that happens remains to be seen.
