ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals will have to wait at least a little longer for David Kampf to make his debut in DC.
Per head coach Spencer Carbery, Kampf has gone to Vancouver to be with his wife as she nears the birth of the couple’s second child. He did not practice with the team on Sunday.
“His wife is going to be going into labor soon, so she can’t travel,” Carbery said. “He needs to go be with her. So I don’t have a timeline, but he is back in Vancouver.”
Kampf and his wife announced the pregnancy in November while he was playing for the Canucks. They currently have one child, three-year-old Michael.
In the 10 days since the Capitals acquired Kampf at the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick, he has been unable to play while awaiting visa clearance from the US government. Carbery confirmed Sunday that Kampf’s visa issues are still ongoing and was not sure when they would resolve, noting that more and more teams have faced similar obstacles recently.
“It’s a great question,” Carbery said when asked about Kampf’s timeline. “And the second that I find that answer out — (laughs). So now it’s become twofold — and this is where the immigration now becomes almost a moot point until they have their child. And then once he comes back, hopefully by then it’ll be (sorted out).
“They’ve given us some timelines, and it’s just taken a little bit longer around the league the last couple of years, or last year, or whatever it’s been,” he said. “It’s just taken a little bit longer than normal, because usually this was like a snap of the fingers. Now it’s sometimes taking a week or 10 days.”
The delays have already held Kampf out of five games, with just 14 opportunities to play now remaining in the Capitals’ regular-season schedule. When asked if the delays had been frustrating to deal with as a head coach, Carbery offered a quippy response.
“You know what I learned a long time ago in the East Coast Hockey League? Is if I get frustrated with things that I can’t control, I will be pulling my hair — which I don’t have,” Carbery said. “It’s just like, there’s nothing you can do.
“So I try my best, even though you’re like, ‘Geez, what’s going on here?’ to just — ‘All right, just let me know when it gets through, and then we’ll plan for that. Today we’re planning for the guys that are available to play, and then you tell me when he can, and then we’ll move on to that.’”
After falling to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, the Capitals will have three days between games before facing the Ottawa Senators at home on March 18.
