Kampfer has been a pleasant surprise
CORAL SPRINGS — In what seemed like one of those NHL transactions involving minor league players that one reads about in the small print of a newspaper, the Panthers came up with arguably their most pleasant surprise of the 2014-15 season when they acquired oft-injured defenseman Steven Kampfer from the Rangers.
The impetus behind the trade was to bolster the blue line for the Panthers’ AHL affiliate while dumping minor league forward Joey Crabb and his overpriced $600,000 price tag.
Kampfer, 27, who hadn’t played in the NHL since the 2011-12 season with the Wild, reported to San Antonio and displayed his offensive versatility with eight goals and 19 points in 42 games.
When Panthers captain/ defenseman Willie Mitchell went down, Kampfer was called up on Feb. 5 and provided solid, two-way, mistake-free play for 25 games to earn the trust of coach Gerard Gallant as well as a two-year, $1.2 million extension from general manager Dale Tallon.
Gallant values Kampfer’s ability to play both sides on the blue line as well as forward as he did in a few games last season when replacing benched winger Brad Boyes.
“He did exactly what a call-up guy does; he played really well and solid and every night he kept getting better and earned his spot,” Gallant said Friday after practice. “He took advantage of an opportunity last year and made the best of it.
“Now, go do it again this year.”
Last year, no one would’ve expected Kampfer — who’s on a two-way deal this season but oneway next year — to not only
beat out Dylan Olsen (oneway), but keep two of the organization’s top young defensemen, Mike Matheson and MacKenzie Weegar, in the minors to start the season.
Still, Kampfer, who has played 86 NHL games in parts of four seasons, takes nothing for granted.
“I come in with the mindset of earning my spot and making the most of it,” said Kampfer, who had four points with a minus-4 in 17:12 average ice time last season. “Nothing’s guaranteed. You got to work hard and prove you deserve to be here.”
Kampfer should know. A highly touted prospect in the Bruins’ organization, Kampfer played 38 games his rookie season of 2010. He notched five goals and10 points with a solid plus-9 ice rating but tore up his knee in Game 77, forcing him to miss the Bruins’ run to the Stanley Cup title.
“He wasn’t really a surprise to me,” said Panthers forward Shawn Thornton, Kampfer’s teammate in Boston for parts of two seasons. “He was our seventh defenseman that year. He was in and out of the lineup so maybe he flew under the radar. We had a good team obviously, but he played a part in it.
“He’s in way better shape now than when I played with him and that’s helped him on the ice. He skates well, plays physical and sees the ice well. He’s got a good mind out there.”
Because a player must play at least 41 games and one Stanley Cup Final game to get his name inscribed on Lord Stanley ’s chalice, Kampfer was left off. “I got my day with the Cup and a ring,” smiled Kampfer, who took the Cup home to Jackson, Mich., and Ann Arbor where he golfed with it before taking it to a party. “It was tough watching it but at the same time it gives you that fire to want to win it again.
“Obviously, the financial security is nice but at the same time you want to establish yourself in the NHL to be here for a long time, play every night to help the team get better and ultimately win the Stanley Cup. That’s what we’re all here for. We think we have the team to do that.”