David Kampf signs one-year contract with Canucks

It didn’t take long for former Maple Leaf David Kampf’s services to be picked up by another team.

Despite a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger saying that Kampf would likely make his decision on Sunday, it was officially announced on Saturday night that Kampf would sign a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The contract is worth $1.1 million.

Kampf, a defence-first centre who was once a pivotal part of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ bottom-six and penalty kill, fell out of favour with head coach Craig Berube in the second half of the 2024-25 season, finishing the season with only 59 games played in comparison to 78 the year prior. He tallied five goals and 13 points in those games and was limited to only one playoff game, which came in the second round against the Florida Panthers.

The Canucks are currently the worst penalty-killing team in the NHL, which Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin noted in the press release as an area Kampf can help improve.

“David is a very reliable two-way centre who will improve our strength and depth down the middle immediately,” Allvin said. “He is good in the faceoff dot and is a solid penalty killer, two areas of need we currently have on our team. His hockey IQ is also a big asset and we believe he will fit in nicely with our group.”

Kampf’s relationship with the Maple Leafs soured rapidly in 2025-26 after he didn’t make the opening night roster. The team placed him on waivers and he went to the Toronto Marlies, where he played in four games and tallied one assist. Eventually, he refused to report to the Marlies which led to having his contract mutually terminated on Thursday. He officially became a free agent on Friday and had reportedly narrowed down his interest to three teams, with the Canucks eventually prevailing.

The Maple Leafs will see Kampf in a Canucks uniform for the first time on January 10th, 2026.