Maple Leafs place David Kampf on waivers

David Kampf was placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, as the team looks to replace the injured Scott Laughton ahead of Wednesday’s season opener against the Montreal Canadiens.

Laughton is listed as week-to-week with a lower body injury suffered during Thursday’s preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Kampf took line rushes alongside Steven Lorentz and Easton Cowan during Friday’s practice and was widely believed to be the front-runner to replace Laughton in the lineup.

“It’s a tough loss for him and us. It’s a bad break. He’s had a real good camp. Yeah, it’s tough for everybody,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Laughton’s injury, via TSN’s Mark Masters.

Kampf played sparingly throughout the preseason, and it appears likely that Calle Jarnkrok will take over the fourth line, with Steven Lorentz on the left wing, while Cowan and Nick Robertson fight for the right wing spot.

“Of course, it’s hard, like, I think everyone wants to play, wants to be in the team,” Kampf said via Nick Barden of The Hockey News. “It was hard for me, but I’m trying to be positive and work hard every day.”

Cowan has outplayed Robertson during training camp and it appeared that he secured his opening night role after a series of stellar showings in preseason action. Michael Pezzetta has played sparingly throughout training camp and he’s not a natural fit at centre, so the Maple Leafs may need to get creative ahead of Wednesday’s opener.

“He’s a good NHL player. Been around. Played in the league for a long time so he’s reliable,” Berube said of Kampf.

Jarnkrok can play either centre or wing, and can be deployed throughout the lineup as needed, although at this juncture of his career, he’s best utilized against bottom-six competition. The 34-year-old has looked refreshed during training camp, coming off a season where he recorded a goal and seven points in 19 games, working his way back after undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery.