David Kampf's agent sets deadline for decision.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently dealing with a major headache in the form of veteran forward David Kampf, but it is a headache that it appears will soon be remedied.

Kampf, who has been an integral part of the Maple Leafs roster for the past four seasons, has found himself on the outside looking in this season due to the Maple Leafs salary cap constraints, with the veteran forward unable to dress for so much as a single game all season so far. Kampf was instead relegated to playing in the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies, something that he clearly felt was a poor use of his time.

Kampf has since made it clear that he will not be playing for the Marlies, a decision that led to him being suspended by the Maple Leafs organization this week without pay. The two sides are now at a crossroads with Kampf making it clear he wants out of Toronto and, perhaps more importantly, wants to be moved to a team in the National Hockey League that will have room for him to play on a regular basis.

There were rumblings last week that Kampf was looking to terminate his contract with the Maple Leafs, but thus far those extreme measures have not been needed. That may be about to change however with Kampf's agent now speaking out through the media and making it clear that time is running out for the Maple Leafs.

On Saturday, NHL insider Darren Dreger reported that Kampf and his agent, JP Barry of the Creative Arts Agency (CAA), will be making a decision at some point in the next 48 hours. From Dreger:

David Kampf and his agent, JP Barry are exploring all of their options and will decide by Monday.

I may be reading too much into the insider's comments here, but to me this sounds very much like an ultimatum for the Maple Leafs. Should the team fail to find a suitable trade in the next 48 hours, I suspect that Kampf will finally make the move to terminate his contract with the team.