Maple Leafs make final David Kampf decision — why Toronto made tough $2.4 million choice

The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally made their David Kampf decision.

On Thursday, the Leafs announced that they have placed Kampf on waivers.

Kampf had a $2.4 million cap hit for this season, although his recent demotion to the minors had lowered that in the interim.

The Maple Leafs still had Kampf under team control for one more season, but if he clears waivers, he'll become a free agent. His time with Toronto is done.

Why did Maple Leafs cut ties with David Kampf?

The Maple Leafs felt they had no choice but to cut Kampf loose.

They sent him down to the AHL Toronto Marlies when training camp ended. It was Kampf's first assignment to the minor leagues since 2017-18.

Kampf reported to the Marlies and played in the first two games of the season, then played again on Oct. 26 and Oct. 29.

After that, Kampf took a leave of absence to consider if there was a path back to the NHL.

The Maple Leafs tried for a trade, but they eventually suspended Kampf without pay as he stayed away from the Marlies.

This works out to a mutual parting between the Maple Leafs and Kampf.

Kampf, a great faceoff guy and penalty killer, could see interest in free agency, although he didn't do himself any favors with his means of exit from Toronto.

MORE: This stat makes it clear the Maple Leafs are missing Mitch Marner