Former Hawk David Kampf flourishing with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Former Chicago Blackhawks forward David Kampf is making the most of his opportunity playing in the Eastern Conference with the Toronto Maple Leafs his season.
Since arriving to Toronto, Kampf has exceeded all expectations. He's been great defensively, as Hawks fans will already know from watching him closely over the last four seasons, and his work on the penalty kill has helped elevate the Leafs to one of the top PK's in the entire league. All of that aside, the biggest difference in Kampf's game has been his ability to produce more offense - something we did not see from him in Chicago.
Granted, the Leafs and Blackhawks play very different styles, but Kampf is certainly making the most of his opportunity with his new team. When the former Hawk was asked on Saturday what the key to his increase in production has been this season, he gave as honest an answer as he could.
After scoring just 1 single goal with Chicago last season, the 27-year-old Czech has already notched 7 goals and appears likely to shatter his previous career-best of 8 goals in 2019-20. While the Leaf's heavy focus on playing a possession-based game certainly has certainly helped Kampf some, the player should also be given some credit for putting himself in a position to score.
Kampf plays on the Leafs 3rd line with long-time Czech international teammate, Ondrej Kase. The pair have great chemistry. They both play a defensively responsible game, but what makes the line a threat offensively is the blazing speed and finishing ability of Kase.
On the Leafs' penalty kill, Kampf has found excellent chemistry with Mitch Marner on his flank as well. He has also found himself on the ice with Alexander Kerfoot for some shifts on the PK, but Marner is, for the most part, his primary winger on the top unit when the Leafs are down a man.
It's a bit of a bittersweet situation for Hawks fans. On one hand, we like to see our guys go on to experience success. On the other hand, there are parts of his game that the Hawks are clearly missing this season.
