VENCOUVER - Hockey forward David Kämpf will continue to play in the NHL after his contract was terminated in Toronto, signing a one-year, $1.1 million (almost 23 million crowns) contract with Vancouver. He will be the third Czech to join the Canucks after defenceman Filip Hronk and forward Filip Chytil. The Canadian club made the announcement on Web site.
The 30-year-old centre was waived by Toronto's AHL farm team two weeks ago and took some time to think about his hockey future. Although Kämpf still had half of the four-year, $9.6 million contract he signed the previous June, he didn't fit on the first-team roster because of the salary cap and played only on the farm in the opening weeks of the Olympic season. He played four games for the Marlies in the AHL and notched an assist. The Maple Leafs, whose colours he has defended since the summer of 2021, made him available to other clubs on Thursday. But no one reached out to him within 24 hours and his contract with Toronto was subsequently terminated.
Vancouver will be Kämpf's third stint in the elite league. „David is a very reliable centre to play both ends of the court and will be an immediate addition for us, adding depth at the centre position,“ said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. „He's good on faceoffs and also very solid on the shorthanded, which are two areas we need to improve on our team right now. His hockey IQ will be a big asset as well. We believe he will fit in well with our team,“ Allvin added.
Kämpf missed part of last season due to injury, scoring five goals and eight assists in 59 games. He only appeared in one of 13 playoff games late in the season. In the NHL, Kämpf played 327 games for the Maple Leafs, including the playoffs, and recorded 34 goals and 57 assists. He started overseas after coming over from Chomutov in 2017 as an undrafted player and played his first four seasons with Chicago. In total, he has 536 regular season starts and 143 points (48+95). In the playoffs, he added four goals and three assists in 35 games.
The world champion from last year's home championship in Prague, who has also won bronze with the national team at the 2022 World Championship in Finland, is one of the main aspirants for a spot on national coach Radim Rulík's nomination list for the February Olympic tournament in Milan, where NHL players will be introduced after 12 years. He can become an unrestricted free agent after the season in Vancouver.
ČTK/ceskenoviny.cz/gnews.cz-jav
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