The Buffalo Sabres sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday ended a months-long saga named Alex Tuch.
The 2027 third-rounder in the deal was actually a much better return than what the Tampa Bay Lightning got for Darren Raddysh. But shuffled at the bottom of the pile was a depth forward named David Kampf.
That was an interesting addition. Why in the world would the Sabres ask for Kampf in the deal? He certainly wasn’t a cap dump as the 31-year-old is set to become a UFA this summer. It wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to include him now, as Buffalo could have just signed him in free agency if they really wanted him.
It’s not like the Capitals were tight up against roster spots or total contracts. The Caps have plenty of slots available for contracts, while roster spots and cap space don’t really matter now.
The reason for adding Kampf could be Jarmo Kekalainen thinking a few moves ahead. Kampf is by no means a scoring forward. He’s known as a defensive specialist and pretty much earmarked as a fourth-line center.
And that’s precisely why he could stick around in Buffalo. The Sabres could use depth down the middle, particularly in the bottom six. The Sabres would be lucky if they got 10 points out of Kampf in a full season. But he is a face-off guy and so reliable that you almost can’t see him on the ice when he’s out there.
His journey to Buffalo, however, has been a bumpy one
Sabres are Kampf’s third team this season
Technically, the Sabres are Kampf’s third team this season. The Czech forward started the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nevertheless, he had fallen out of favor in Toronto. The Leafs tried to trade him last summer, but there were no takers. His $2.4 million cap hit at the time scared just about everyone away.
Ultimately, the Leafs buried Kampf in the AHL. When he refused to report, the two sides worked towards terminating his contract. As a UFA, Kampf signed a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks for $1.1 million.
In 38 games with the Canucks, scoring two goals and six points. He was expendable to the rebuilding Canucks, so off to the Caps he went at the NHL trade deadline. He appeared in just two games for Washington.
That brings us to his arrival in Buffalo. The Sabres likely see him as an insurance policy. Since it doesn’t seem like cap space will be a problem for Buffalo next season, the club could afford to keep him around, either as a 4C or potentially as a 13th forward, just in case.
That proposition, nonetheless, will depend on how much the Sabres sign Kampf for this summer.
Kampf could stick, but on incentive-laden deal
The Sabres, in my estimation, would want to keep a guy like Kampf around. Injuries to centers like Josh Norris or any other forwards could leave the club vulnerable. That’s why plugging someone like Kampf into the lineup would make sense.
But it would only make sense if the cap hit is right.
It would be outrageous to think that the Sabres could sign Kampf to anything beyond a one-year, incentive-laden deal. Something in the neighborhood of a one-year deal with a league minimum base salary plus performance bonuses would make sense.
It’s worth noting that Kampf isn’t in PTO territory just yet. But he hasn’t shown enough to warrant a regular type of free-agent deal.
That’s why a deal loaded with incentives would make the most sense for everyone. It would be the sort of low-risk proposition that could benefit both sides, especially if the Sabres aren't able to retain fellow impending UFA Beck Malenstyn, a key member of the club's fourth line.
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