The newest player to enter the Vancouver Canucks rumour mill is forward David Kampf. The 30-year-old was placed on waivers Friday by the Toronto Maple Leafs for the purpose of contract termination. This season, Kampf has only played in four games, all of which have come with the Toronto Marlies.
Vancouver’s reported interest in Kampf is no surprise. Due to injuries, the Canucks have had to rely heavily on Elias Pettersson at both ends of the ice, which has impacted his ability to produce offence. Bringing in Kampf could help relieve some of those defensive minutes and faceoffs from Pettersson, as that is his specialty.
In 536 career NHL games, Kampf has taken 6,310 faceoffs. He has a win percentage of 51.4%, which includes winning 50.9% of his draws in the defensive zone. Overall, Kampf has been consistent throughout his NHL career when it comes to faceoffs, as he has posted a win percentage above 50% in seven of his eight seasons.
Kampf is also known for his ability to kill penalties. In 2024-25, he played 120:06 on the penalty kill, which was the second-most by any Leafs forward behind Mitch Marner. Kampf also picked up some shorthanded points last year, recording a goal and an assist in 54 games.
As mentioned, the big reason why the Canucks would be interested in Kampf is his defensive play. With Teddy Blueger out of the lineup, Vancouver doesn’t have a bottom-six center that can play a matchup role, which is why Pettersson has taken 141 defensive zone faceoffs so far this season. Having a player like Kampf in the bottom six would allow the Canucks to give Pettersson more offensive starts, which should help the team produce more offence.
When it comes to Kampf, it is important to keep expectations reasonable. He will help on the defensive side, but is not a player who will put up massive offensive numbers. Yes, he has put up over 25 points before, but Kampf’s offensive range is most likely between 15 and 20 points per season.
Based on Vancouver’s current injury situation and system, signing Kampf if he clears waivers makes sense in the short term. He is an NHL-calibre center who can win draws and potentially help the struggling penalty kill. The key now is to ensure that any deal is for just one year with a decent cap hit, so the Canucks do not run into any salary cap issues once players start to return from injury.
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