So, the David Clarkson thing didn't work out. It had all the hallmarks of a great story: the Toronto kid comes back home to play for his hometown team, the team he always dreamed of playing for, and having earned a big contract to boot. Toronto was getting one of its own back, and its own was a bonafide superstar.
... Except that's really not how things ever were. Clarkson is from Toronto, yes; a bonafide superstar, he never was. The beneficiary of a couple of good years (46 points one year; half a point per game the following lockout season) and a weak free agent market set up the perfect storm for Clarkson to get a giant contract. And, well, since it's the Maple Leafs, and they have more cash than they know what to do with...
Yeah, things didn't work out. At all. And now Clarkson is a member of the Blue Jackets, set to make his season debut tonight (against Toronto!), and the Leafs the beneficiaries of a Columbus team that can't afford to have an expensive player not playing for them (one Nathan Horton, to be precise).
David Clarkson on Leafs tenure: "I don’t regret it. I got to wear a jersey that I dreamed of as a little boy & for me that’s pretty cool."
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 16, 2015 Oh well. At least everyone's happy now: Clarkson got to do something cool, and the Leafs don't have to care anymore.