Despite loss there is something to be happy about for the Maple Leafs
By Jim Lynch
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 4-3 in a shoot out to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus on Tuesday night. With the loss, the Leafs are now 5-4-1 in their last ten and sit third in the Atlantic Division.
Despite their struggles, there still is a lot to get excited about. Today I want to talk about the performance of one of the team’s additions this past offseason in David Kampf. David Kampf was signed by the Leafs this past offseason for 1.5 million a year for two seasons.
This is his first year in Toronto and he has already made the team a lot better. He can win faceoffs, help kill penalties, and apparently play some pretty good offensive hockey as well.
Kampf has 17 points in 49 games with the Leafs this season, his best career total in four years in Chicago was 19 points in 63 games in 2018-19. Obviously, Kampf is playing in this lineup for his defensive capabilities to help out in all different types of situations, but the fact that he can also produce offensively does not hurt in the slightest.
Check out the pass David Kampf had to set up Auston Matthews for his 34th goal of the season.
Kampf is having one of his best seasons, and it makes sense as this is arguably the best team he has played on in the league. His shooting percentage is at a career-high most likely because he now has the opportunity to play with some more offensively talented players.
Kampf is third on the team in face-off wins and leads the team by a wide margin with 80 percent of his faceoffs starts coming in the defensive zone. He is definitely someone the team leans on and is going to be fun to watch in the postseason with the Leafs.
Depth is important, and with David Kampf the Leafs have their fourth line center position locked in with someone that can help kill penalties and win a faceoff win the team needs a big win.
The Chicago Blackhawks definitely made a mistake letting David Kampf walk in free agency. Kampf is signed at a good price, something the Leafs definitely need considering their salary cap situation. Now all this team needs to do is start winning more games.
Toronto’s next game is on Thursday at home when they face off against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota last played on Tuesday in a 4-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators.