Quoting: Ljf
Devils decline, please stop making these kampf - jarnkrok to new jersey without giving US assets trades
Quoting: NJTM
Right. The leafs can’t afford them. Why should the devils help you out of a situation you put yourself in. Toronto will not receive a second round pick to get themselves out of a problem they put themselves in.
Devils fans clearly didn't watch many Leafs games.
Let me tell you about Keefe's love of Kampf.
Since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs Kampf has had the 5th most TOI of forwards in Toronto. He is literally the #1 forward that Keefe plays outside of the core 4. (Considering they all make $11M+, I think Keefe would say Kampf's $2.5M is a bargain).
He is:
#1 PK
#1 F 5v3
#1 C 3v3
#1 C D-Zone Draws
Plays the shift after almost every goal for
Plays the shift after almost every goal against
#1 in ice time when TOR lead by 1 goal for 2 of his 3 seasons in TOR
No leafs fan is trying to argue Kampf's value objectively. I think 99% of us know he's a high end 4C who should probably be getting $2M a year and playing way less than he does. What we are trying to explain is that this is a player that Keefe trusts and values way more than NJ fans could possibility imagine. I'd bet a significant reason that Kampf was signed the day after the Leafs announced Keefe would stay is because of Keefe. I also wouldn't be surprised if Keefe pushed HARD to get Kampf. If you just signed a new coach for $20M, I'm certain the team will sacrifice a 2nd + $2.5M in cap to get him a guy he feels is a key player in his bottom 6. Especially when NJ doesn't already have another similar player.
Jarnkrok is another version of Kampf. He's Keefe's fixer. Any line that isn't playing well, he takes the worst player off the line and replaces them with Jarnkrok.
So most Leaf fans will tell you with 100% certainty that if NJ could acquire these players for a 2nd and didn't that would likely cause a MAJOR rift between the coach and management.
He has averaged as high as 17:27 per game in a single playoff run. Not a single game, an average across the entire playoffs of 17:27 per game.
In the playoffs, he has a dZS% of 90.2% this year, not even his highest while playing for Keefe which was 92.2% in 2022.