Yep sure at half his salary and you take greening and legwand, iam sure we could have used him .In his proper role as a 4th line enforcer that can play very limited mins

- top shelf 15

I saw nothing of retaining salary. Greening and Legwand, yes. Retained salary, no.

He's not an enforcer. He's got some grit, but not an enforcer.

he still would have been on your payroll, for how long? 5 more years? 6? I don't even know.

Do you find it concerning that a highly sought after UFA like him turned down more money to play for your rival, and the only chance you had at him was after we realized he sucked? And even then, you would have had to give up assets for that awful contract?


- Feeling Glucky?

Greening and Legwand are assets now ??At 2.6 which would be around half of what clarkson makes. Yep i could see an deal like that tbh .

I saw nothing of retaining salary. Greening and Legwand, yes. Retained salary, no.

He's not an enforcer. He's got some grit, but not an enforcer.

he still would have been on your payroll, for how long? 5 more years? 6? I don't even know.
- prock

Without retained salary from the leafs there would be no deal ,hense he is a blue jacket now

I saw nothing of retaining salary. Greening and Legwand, yes. Retained salary, no.

He's not an enforcer. He's got some grit, but not an enforcer.

he still would have been on your payroll, for how long? 5 more years? 6? I don't even know.
- prock

Didn't even see names, just that the Leafs would have to take back salary.


Given Murray's trades of late... I wouldn't be surprised if somebody above him didn't clonk him over the head before he gave away this year's 1st.

So you think assembling a team without any top-end talent represents a plan for anything other than mediocrity?


Interesting.


I don't think the team will move, but the team is cash strapped, simply because the owner uses them as his piggy bank to fund his extended Caribbean vacation... and brags to others around the league about how cheap he can run a team.

He's from Toronto... maybe he's just doing it to keep senators fans suffering? I'm sure at some point, when the locals realize that they're cheering for a team that's never won the cup, and isn't in a position to do so for the next decade or so, he'll have to start spending, if just to give the illusion of trying.
- Feeling Glucky?

WOW, you have vivid imagination, but to bad it does not mesh with the reality that we all live in.


In case you have not noticed, but the Senators have been getting progressively better for the last three weeks, as their younger players have been getting much more ice time with a number of veterans out of the line up.

On the other hand the leafs have maintained their bottom of the barrel mediocre play since they bottomed out and threw in the towel a month ago.

Need I remind you of the leafs dismal five game road trip, the same one the Senators are currently on? The leafs were shut out in California and returned to toronto with one measly little goal to show for it. So far the Senators have shutout the two California teams they've faced.

Clearly Ottawa is the better of the two Ontario based teams, just as they've been for the past decade.

All the leafs have done in the period of time, is provide all of us with the continual soap opera joke, that they've become.

Without retained salary from the leafs there would be no deal ,hense he is a blue jacket now

- top shelf 15

Wouldn't surprise me if the trade didn't go through because Melnyk is looking to cut more salary to re-sign some of the RFAs.

Murray likely saw Clarkson as the type of toughness they needed to get to the playoffs.

WOW, you have vivid imagination, but to bad it does not mesh with the reality that we all live in.


In case you have not noticed, but the Senators have been getting progressively better for the last three weeks, as their younger players have been getting much more ice time with a number of veterans out of the line up.

On the other hand the leafs have maintained their bottom of the barrel mediocre play since they bottomed out and threw in the towel a month ago.

Need I remind you of the leafs dismal five game road trip, the same one the Senators are currently on? The leafs were shut out in California and returned to toronto with one measly little goal to show for it. So far the Senators have shutout the two California teams they've faced.

Clearly Ottawa is the better of the two Ontario based teams, just as they've been for the past decade.

All the leafs have done in the period of time, is provide all of us with the continual soap opera joke, that they've become.
- Doppleganger

I've seen that story play out with the Leafs many times.


Enjoy it though. False hope can be exciting!

Wouldn't surprise me if the trade didn't go through because Melnyk is looking to cut more salary to re-sign some of the RFAs.

Murray likely saw Clarkson as the type of toughness they needed to get to the playoffs.
- Feeling Glucky?

Yep he likes tough players ,nothing wrong with that .He is a good GM. What,s with the hate gluck???

Without retained salary from the leafs there would be no deal ,hense he is a blue jacket now

- top shelf 15

No, the Leafs would take Legwand, not Greening. We got a better offer, with no cap hit at all coming back.

Do you find it concerning that a highly sought after UFA like him turned down more money to play for your rival, and the only chance you had at him was after we realized he sucked? And even then, you would have had to give up assets for that awful contract?


- Feeling Glucky?

The reason he sucked is all on the leafs, and how they used him. Prior to his toronto stint, he played about and average of 3 min per game on the PP the season he scored 30 goals, and in his last season he averaged 3.5 min per game on the PP.

His first season with the leafs, they used him an average of 1 min per game on the PP, resulting in his 5 goal output in his first leaf season

So it's a mess of their own making, and there is no one else to blame. We'll see how he's used in C bus.

Murray likely saw Clarkson as the type of toughness they needed to get to the playoffs.
- Feeling Glucky?

Awesome.

No, the Leafs would take Legwand, not Greening. We got a better offer, with no cap hit at all coming back.
- prock

It,s all speculation Prock ,you did get the better offer .And the rest doesnt matter

The reason he sucked is all on the leafs, and how they used him. Prior to his toronto stint, he played about and average of 3 min per game on the PP the season he scored 30 goals, and in his last season he averaged 3.5 min per game on the PP.

His first season with the leafs, they used him an average of 1 min per game on the PP, resulting in his 5 goal output in his first leaf season

So it's a mess of their own making, and there is no one else to blame. We'll see how he's used in C bus.
- Doppleganger

Now all of a sudden he's not so bad?

You're hilarious.

Yep he likes tough players ,nothing wrong with that .He is a good GM. What,s with the hate gluck???
- top shelf 15

In Dopp's words, no hate, just setting the record straight.

He actually thinks the Sens are in a better position.

Now all of a sudden he's not so bad?

You're hilarious.
- prock

It,s all speculation Prock ,you did get the better offer .And the rest doesnt matter
- top shelf 15

Speculation, yes. I’m just saying, the reports were it was Greening and Legwand, no mention of retained salary.

It’s a little funny that just a few posts ago, I talked about the Sens being on the receiving end of a player like Clarkson, in a trade like that, if the Sens were going to be a part of one, though. Don’t you find that depressing in the least?

To bad there was no one around to clonk Brian Burke on his head, before he traded the farm for Kessel.


- Doppleganger

Could be worse.

Could've traded for Bobby Ryan.

And then traded one of the league's best goalies for Cory Conacher.


At least when Burke overpaid, he got something of value back.

Now all of a sudden he's not so bad?

You're hilarious.
- prock

I said we'll see.

The leaf braintrust totally screwed up in his case. I has clear to everyone else in the NHL that Clarkson's strength was being used on the PP. He was second in PPG with the Devils in 2011 12, and first in his last season with the Devils.

Why did the coaching staff in toronto not use him on the PP more?

I said we'll see.

The leaf braintrust totally screwed up in his case. I has clear to everyone else in the NHL that Clarkson's strength was being used on the PP. He was second in PPG with the Devils in 2011 12, and first in his last season with the Devils.

Why did the coaching staff in toronto not use him on the PP more?
- Doppleganger

because they decided after he was a black hole of productivity on the PP that playing him on the PP more was a bad idea?

Could be worse.

Could've traded for Bobby Ryan.

And then traded one of the league's best goalies for Cory Conacher.


At least when Burke overpaid, he got something of value back.
- Feeling Glucky?

Could have been worse, could have traded the future of the team for Kessel.

Also could have trade Tukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft.

because they decided after he was a black hole of productivity on the PP that playing him on the PP more was a bad idea?
- Feeling Glucky?

TO bad there was no one there to clonk Nonis on the head before he signed him as a UFA.

What did they base that signing on?? He was a PP player who scored more PP goals (on his team) in his last two seasons with the Devils.

What made the leafs think he's be better used somewhere else??

Could have been worse, could have traded the future of the team for Kessel.

Also could have trade Tukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft.

- Doppleganger

You already used that one


And Rask wasn't Burke.


You're just a whole bucket of fail today, aren't you?

TO bad there was no one there to clonk Nonis on the head before he signed him as a UFA.

What did they base that signing on?? He was a PP player who scored more PP goals (on his team) in his last two seasons with the Devils.

What made the leafs think he's be better used somewhere else??
- Doppleganger

Many people were wondering the same thing.



I really wish Ottawa was a more desireable location, so he could have signed the larger contract that they were offering, but alas, I can't blame him for accepting less money to play in TO.

Many people were wondering the same thing.



I really wish Ottawa was a more desireable location, so he could have signed the larger contract that they were offering, but alas, I can't blame him for accepting less money to play in TO.
- Feeling Glucky?

toronto is no more of a desirable location than Ottawa is, and most UFAs don't want to guest star in the Prime Time Soap Opera that toronto is.

Can't blame someone for being fooled into thinking the leafs will ever again appear in the Stanley Cup Finals ever again.

He ending up being a bit player in the ongoing soap opera that the leafs nation has become accustomed to seeing. They keep main characters for longer periods, and bring some in for few season to spice things up a bit.........just like Dallas with JR Ewing............Clarkson was a long lost cousin that walks up the driveway at Southfork stays on long enough to wear out his welcome and moves on.

Wonder who the next character will be next season??

http://news.nationalpost....the-lament-for-the-leafs/
true then and true now

Can't blame someone for being fooled into thinking the leaf will ever again appear in the Stanley Cup Finals ever again.

He ending up being a bit player in the ongoing soap opera that the leafs nation has become accustomed to seeing. They keep main characters for longer periods, and bring some in for few season to spice things up a bit.........just like Dallas with JR Ewing............Clarkson was a long lost cousin that walks up the driveway at Southfork stays on long enough to wear out his welcome and moves on. Wonder who the next character will be next season??
- Doppleganger

I think what you need to remember is hockey is a job to these guys. They don't just base their decisions on whether they can win a cup with a particular team. I think when you start to realize that, you'll discover reasons why players won't sign with certain teams, and some teams have to pay second line wingers $7M a year to play there.