The Toronto Maple Leafs will reportedly place forward David Kampf on waivers on Thursday to terminate his contract, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

The Leafs later confirmed the news in the afternoon prior to the waiver window opening.

Kampf’s future with the Leafs had come into question since the start of the regular season when he went through waivers unclaimed and was assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. After appearing in four games and recording an assist, reports emerged that he had stepped away from the team to contemplate his long-term plans.

The Leafs had been trying to find a taker for Kampf, who had fallen out of favour in Craig Berube’s system after being a key contributor for years under Sheldon Keefe, but to no avail. The key issue at hand was the contract that he signed back in 2023, which carried an AAV of $2.4 million, had two seasons remaining, and included signing bonuses in the multi-million range.

That proved to play a role in this saga dragging on because it ended up being a key reason as to why it took this long for both parties to reach a resolution. Given that it occurred during a time when Kampf was suspended by the Leafs without pay for being absent from the Marlies, it was no doubt an emotional experience for all parties involved.

The expectation is that Kampf goes through waivers unclaimed and can have his contract terminated on Friday, after which he is free to sign with another team of his choosing. This would free up some cap space for the Leafs to potentially bring up some players from the Marlies if needed or a trade down the line.

The 30-year-old centre appeared in 59 regular-season games last season, where he recorded 13 points (five goals and eight assists) while going scoreless in one postseason appearance. Across 301 games played over four seasons, Kampf recorded 85 points (31 goals and 54 assists) and added six points (three goals and three assists) in 26 playoff games.