Last week, there were indications that the Toronto Maple Leafs might be considering potential buyouts of players at the bottom of their forward lineup, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Thursday’s 32 Thoughts podcast now believes that the Leafs will not be contemplating buyouts at the bottom of the forward lineup.
The three likeliest candidates for a buyout option appeared to be center David Kampf (who has 2 years left at a $2.4 million AAV), wingers Calle Jarnkrok (1 year left at $2.1 million AAV) and Ryan Reaves (1 year left at $1.35 million).
The buyout cap savings on Kampf and Jarnkrok is not great because of sizable signing bonuses. Kampf’s buyout would result in a cap hit spread over four years, counting $1.683 million for two years and then $358,333 for the two years after that, clearing $716,666 the next two seasons. Jarnkrok’s buyout would only lower the cap hit from $2.1 million to $1.58 million, and save $517,666 next season, but would create a cap hit over $258,333 in 2026.
With only eight forwards under contract for next season, Leafs GM Brad Treliving may believe that keeping one of the forwards is more cost-effective in a market with an increasing cap and players looking for term and a potentially higher AAV.
One possibility is to trade one or both of Kampf or Jarnkrok, in exchange for a draft pick or a contract coming the other way. The more likely of the two to be moved is Kampf, because he is a center, good defensively, a penalty killer, good on faceoffs, and because he does not seem to be a favorite of head coach Craig Berube.
Jarnkrok’s recent injury history does not make him a good trade candidate, and it is possible that he could bounce back months out from his sports hernia injury. If the Leafs are shopping the 30-year-old Kampf, a likely fit could be the New Jersey Devils, as he was utilized with former head coach Sheldon Keefe in a third-line checking role, while Berube used him mostly on the fourth line and healthy scratched him at times.
A Reaves buyout, who had no signing bonus, would count only $450,000 against the cap next season and save the Leafs $900,000, but if they bury the 38-year-old in the American Hockey League next season, they would clear all but $225,000 of his 2025-26 salary or all of it if he retires this summer.
