David Kämpf has one more year after this on on his contract, and this termination will see him lose over $3 million in salary. He played in only 59 games for the Leafs last year, and has been in the AHL since the beginning of this year. After he cleared waivers, it seemed unlikely the Leafs could find a trade that wouldn't put them in the position of taking back a player they also didn't want and didn't want to pay.

Kämpf was reportedly unhappy at the prospect of playing in the AHL, and appeared in only four games. The AHL has a veteran rule that limits the number of games players with a lot of experience can play, and the Marlies currently have several they want in the lineup as much as possible.

Kämpf, who will be 31 in January, could likely get an NHL contract post termination, just not one with the same term and salary amount as he has now.

The Leafs will get some cap space out of this as they were carrying $1.25 million in cap charges for the amount of his AAV over the buriable amount. Kämpf has been suspended without pay, and that cap charge has been off the books during that period. If he had returned to the Marlies, it would have returned too.

Suspension is often part of the process of termination of a contract as there has to be a cause. Reports indicate that there has been a conflict over the idea that some his signing bonus paid this summer would be clawed back in order for the league to approve a termination. This conflict has delayed the termination process. That is unofficial, however.

If we get clarity on that issue, we'll update this post.

Free Agents and Contracts