David Clarkson

[bustaheims]

April 23, 2009 v. Hurricanes. Game 5 1st round. 0-0, 11:22 2nd period, 1-0 Final

May 1st v, Flyers, 2012 Game 2 2nd round. 1-1, 11:17 3rd period, 4-1 Final

May 8th v, Flyers, 2012 Game 5 2nd round. 1-1, 12:45 1st period, 3-1 Final

May 1st v, Flyers, 2012 Game 2 2nd round. 1-1, 11:17 3rd period, 4-1 Final, series winning

May 16th v. Rangers 2012, Game 2 3rd round. 2-2, 2:31 3rd period, 3-2 Final



(I should be doing something better with my weekends)

You have the May 1st goal twice. 

 

[slapshot]

Clarkson simply hasn't found his groove yet. New team, new system, series of setbacks (yes, some brought on by himself). They brought him in not as a playmaker, but as someone who would take the body, go to the dirty areas and bang in some cheap goals that others wouldn't get because he's willing to go to the front of the net. This will become even more evident in the playoffs when the punishment gets a lot more intense. If he can score some big goals at important times in the "playoffs," the signing will make sense because that is what this is all about, going to the next level.

I think the people against the deal would simply argue that Clarke MacCarthur could also score some big goals in the playoffs, cost less, and incur no long term financial risk.  There is no way to predict who will score the big goal in the playoffs.  Over a 4-7 game stretch anybody can hot or go cold. but in general, the better the player, the better the chances.  In recent years, little guys like Danny Briere and and Phil Kessel have done well.  It is a bit of a myth that brute strength always wins the day in the playoffs.

I don't know if he's the right fit for Kadri and Lupul. He would need to develop some chemistry with them. Hasn't really played with them enough to this point. Probably third line is a better fit with Bolland and Mason. Granted that is a lot of money for a third line players, but if the cap escalates as expected, and his plays goes to where we expected it, I am okay with that.

Ideally, I'd like to see an upgrade on right wing beside Kadri and Lupul. It looked like pretty much a certainty Kulemin would be moved, but his play of late has been a lot better. I was actually fairly impressed with him at centre last game.

Another reason people didn't like the acquisition is the opportunity cost. Upgrading elsewhere (such as the more important positions at center and on defense) where the leafs are weaker is more difficult now because of how much you are paying a third liner.

But the biggest reason they didn't like the acquisition is because of the fear the team is mortgaging the future (years 4-7 of the contract) for a present that isn't all that promising.  People generally assumed Clarkson would provide decent value the first few years of the deal (which has made it a bit of a shock given how terribly this first season has gone).

Not sure how you categorize Kessel as a "little" guy like Briere? Kessel is 6 feet, 202 lbs versus Briere 5'9" 174 lbs and hasn't really done much lately.

Yes, MacArthur would have been a cheaper alternative to Clarkson, but I think the Leafs were looking for more jam and a more consistent effort night in, night out. Granted we haven't really seen consistent production from Clarkson yet, but the effort is there.

Though MacArthur is having what you'd consider a decent year with the Sens, he disappears for stretches. He started the year 11 games without a goal, caught fire, then had another 10 games goalless  stretch, and he is currently on a seven game goalless stretch and counting...

Kessel used to be pretty streaky as well, but there year the longest he's gone without scoring is 5 games and that is with Bozak being missing for a stretch as well.

MacArthur was also benched for a bit by Carlyle last year around playoff time, likely due to his inconsistent effort. When you going into your first ever NHL playoff last year like MacArthur was, how should motivation/effort be an issue. The benching must have woke him up a bit though, as he did have a decent playoff the rest of the way.

I liked Mac, but just understand why the Leafs went in another direction.

 

[Deebo]

April 23, 2009 v. Hurricanes. Game 5 1st round. 0-0, 11:22 2nd period, 1-0 Final

May 1st v, Flyers, 2012 Game 2 2nd round. 1-1, 11:17 3rd period, 4-1 Final

May 8th v, Flyers, 2012 Game 5 2nd round. 1-1, 12:45 1st period, 3-1 Final

May 1st v, Flyers, 2012 Game 2 2nd round. 1-1, 11:17 3rd period, 4-1 Final, series winning

May 16th v. Rangers 2012, Game 2 3rd round. 2-2, 2:31 3rd period, 3-2 Final



(I should be doing something better with my weekends)

I for one hope you never find anything better to do with your weekends.  I briefly considered looking these up!

When I saw that he only scored goals in two playoff years and I knew NHL.com's player stats by game marked the games which GWGs registered with asterisk, It' wasn't so bad.

April 23, 2009 v. Hurricanes. Game 5 1st round. 0-0, 11:22 2nd period, 1-0 Final

May 1st v, Flyers, 2012 Game 2 2nd round. 1-1, 11:17 3rd period, 4-1 Final

May 8th v, Flyers, 2012 Game 5 2nd round. 1-1, 12:45 1st period, 3-1 Final

May 1st v, Flyers, 2012 Game 2 2nd round. 1-1, 11:17 3rd period, 4-1 Final, series winning

May 16th v. Rangers 2012, Game 2 3rd round. 2-2, 2:31 3rd period, 3-2 Final



(I should be doing something better with my weekends)

You have the May 1st goal twice. 

And the extra may 1st goal is incorrectly marked as a series winner.

 

[Britishbulldog]

I am kind of switching camps the other way. 

When Clarkson was rumoured to sign with Toronto I thought a he would be a solid 3rd line RW that would:
- hit like Kulemin,
- score similar to MacArthur (15-20 goals)
- fight middleweight fights/trouble makers like NAS 5'10" Rich Clune does
- with a salary like COL Matt Duchene's $3.75 or LA captain Dustin Brown's  $3.5

Instead I have seen a player who:
- can't hit like Kulemin,
- won't score similar to MacArthur (15-20 goals)
- can't fight middleweight fights/trouble makers like NAS 5'10" Rich Clune does
- came with a salary like with a cap hit like WPG Evander Kane and Dallas captain Jamie Benn

The biggest problem I have with Clarkson is that he has no offensive imagination.  Whereas you see Kessel, JVR, Bozak, Lupul, Kadri, Kulemin, Bolland, Holland and to an certain extent even McClement, Bodie, D'Amigo and, I hate to admit, even Ashton look for players breaking in the clear, anticipating where the play should be and either putting the puck there or getting there themselves for one timers/break aways....Clarkson seems oblivious to everyone around him if he has the puck or not.  It is really weird.

Raymond is atleast aggravating me like MacArthur did where he tries stuff guessing what is going to happen.  Clarkson doesn't even try.  I look at that as more than just a chemistry issue but more a hockey IQ issue which usually doesn't change a whole lot for a player at his age on his final NHL contract.

I watched all of Chris Stewart 18 goals from last year and none were high skilled.  Most were swatting/deflecting in goals from being parked in front of the net while a small few were a decent shot very similar to JVR's style.  The point being Clarkson should be able to easily do that.

A buyout would be painful.  A Retained Salary Transaction would be the least painful way to deal with it except that he has a both a modified NTC and NMC.

 

[slapshot]

I am kind of switching camps the other way. 

When Clarkson was rumoured to sign with Toronto I thought a he would be a solid 3rd line RW that would:
- hit like Kulemin,
- score similar to MacArthur (15-20 goals)
- fight middleweight fights/trouble makers like NAS 5'10" Rich Clune does
- with a salary like COL Matt Duchene's $3.75 or LA captain Dustin Brown's  $3.5

Instead I have seen a player who:
- can't hit like Kulemin,
- won't score similar to MacArthur (15-20 goals)
- can't fight middleweight fights/trouble makers like NAS 5'10" Rich Clune does
- came with a salary like with a cap hit like WPG Evander Kane and Dallas captain Jamie Benn

The biggest problem I have with Clarkson is that he has no offensive imagination.  Whereas you see Kessel, JVR, Bozak, Lupul, Kadri, Kulemin, Bolland, Holland and to an certain extent even McClement, Bodie, D'Amigo and, I hate to admit, even Ashton look for players breaking in the clear, anticipating where the play should be and either putting the puck there or getting there themselves for one timers/break aways....Clarkson seems oblivious to everyone around him if he has the puck or not.  It is really weird.

Raymond is atleast aggravating me like MacArthur did where he tries stuff guessing what is going to happen.  Clarkson doesn't even try.  I look at that as more than just a chemistry issue but more a hockey IQ issue which usually doesn't change a whole lot for a player at his age on his final NHL contract.

I watched all of Chris Stewart 18 goals from last year and none were high skilled.  Most were swatting/deflecting in goals from being parked in front of the net while a small few were a decent shot very similar to JVR's style.  The point being Clarkson should be able to easily do that.

A buyout would be painful.  A Retained Salary Transaction would be the least painful way to deal with it except that he has a both a modified NTC and NMC.

You think Kulemin is a "hitter"?  2.19 hits per game to Clarkson 2.95.
He tried fighting 6'8" Scott and look where that got him?
I think Clarkson pots 15 plus next year.
Those are old contracts (this is their last year), both Brown and Duchene have re-upped for $5.7 million and $6 million respectively.  I agree Clarkson's contract is a little rich, $4 million would seem more like it, but that's what the market brought at the time.

 

[Rebel_1812]

All of the numerous posters at the time (some gone to be fair) that roasted the Kessel trade. come on now admit it, there were about 70% totally against it. Now we have one of the best snipers the Loafs have ever had.
I don't expect Clarkson to score a lot of goals, I expect him to grind down his opponents, win the tough corner battles and be a force when he is on the ice. Macarther, make me laugh, he was not a grinder or a hitter but a decent goal scorer. I liked Mac but he didnt fit this team and whether you like it or not this team is winning and getting better all the time.

I agree.  There is a reason MacArthur has bounced around teams.  He is a decent scorer but a streaky one.  When he isn't scoring he doesn't contribute much to the team.  That is why he was a healthy scratch last year.

 

[lamajama]

All of the numerous posters at the time (some gone to be fair) that roasted the Kessel trade. come on now admit it, there were about 70% totally against it. Now we have one of the best snipers the Loafs have ever had.
I don't expect Clarkson to score a lot of goals, I expect him to grind down his opponents, win the tough corner battles and be a force when he is on the ice. Macarther, make me laugh, he was not a grinder or a hitter but a decent goal scorer. I liked Mac but he didnt fit this team and whether you like it or not this team is winning and getting better all the time.

I agree.  There is a reason MacArthur has bounced around teams.  He is a decent scorer but a streaky one.  When he isn't scoring he doesn't contribute much to the team.  That is why he was a healthy scratch last year.

I don't disagree with your comments at all. The only thing I would say is that any of RC's roster moves/line combos etc are so perplexing that I'm not sure I blame MacArthur here at all. I could be wrong but I don't remember a clamor for Mac to be scratched??

 

[2badknees]

The main problem is that Clarkson in Jersey generated a lot of chances on the cycle down low, and the cycle game is non existent in Toronto.

The general game plan is give the opposing team a solid minute in the Leafs zone, box out, give up about 5 shots, and then try to score on the rush the other way. Repeat.

Clarkson doesn't fit a rush team at all. I'd pair him with Bodie and Bolland on the 3rd line and see if that works.

 

[Jalili]

To be brutally honest, when I first saw the numbers of Clarkson's contract I thought it was an atrocious deal.

But I kind of assumed that there was a silver lining to it - such as a reduced salary for the last couple years of his contract - so that you could plausibly trade him down the road to a team that needs to meet the cap basement or that has an internal budget.

Like Shawn Horcoff being traded from Edmonton to Dallas, for example. His salary for this year and next is $4 and $3M, despite having a cap hit of $5.5. But I guess the change in rules has prevented those types of deals maybe.

But I really don't see any way they can get themselves out this mess. Keep in mind, it's nothing personal against Clarkson. It's his contract that is the problem.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

All of the numerous posters at the time (some gone to be fair) that roasted the Kessel trade. come on now admit it, there were about 70% totally against it. Now we have one of the best snipers the Loafs have ever had.
I don't expect Clarkson to score a lot of goals, I expect him to grind down his opponents, win the tough corner battles and be a force when he is on the ice. Macarther, make me laugh, he was not a grinder or a hitter but a decent goal scorer. I liked Mac but he didnt fit this team and whether you like it or not this team is winning and getting better all the time.

I agree.  There is a reason MacArthur has bounced around teams.  He is a decent scorer but a streaky one.  When he isn't scoring he doesn't contribute much to the team.  That is why he was a healthy scratch last year.

Every "scorer" is streaky, and every 2nd line player has pointless streaks.  Calling a player streaky is really meaningless, IMO.

 

[Highlander]

I think Clarkson will help this team, especially come playoff time and we all seem to forget that the cap is going up, up, up, some are even talking 90 million in 3 years. What of Clarkson's contract then when we  have seen him help this team, which he will

 

[Britishbulldog]

To be brutally honest, when I first saw the numbers of Clarkson's contract I thought it was an atrocious deal.

But I kind of assumed that there was a silver lining to it - such as a reduced salary for the last couple years of his contract - so that you could plausibly trade him down the road to a team that needs to meet the cap basement or that has an internal budget.

Like Shawn Horcoff being traded from Edmonton to Dallas, for example. His salary for this year and next is $4 and $3M, despite having a cap hit of $5.5. But I guess the change in rules has prevented those types of deals maybe.

But I really don't see any way they can get themselves out this mess. Keep in mind, it's nothing personal against Clarkson. It's his contract that is the problem.

Clarkson's contract does go up then down which is rather good if he is to be traded towards the end of his deal but more interestingly he has a HUGE signing bonus each year lowering his actual NHL pay cheque to only a small amount in comparison to the bonus. 

For instance when he signed the deal, his salary was $4.5 MIL but he received a $3.5 MIL signing bonus and has only $1 MIL spread out over this season. 

Next July his salary rises to $4.75 but he gets $3.75 of it immediately as a signing bonus immediately and again has only $1 MIL spread out over the season.

The final year of his contract, July 1st 2019 his salary is $3.25 and again he gets all but $1 MIL as a signing bonus.

***Side note: How can his final year be $3.25 when I thought the lowest year can never be less than 50% of the highest year(s) 2016/17 and 2017/18 when he makes $7.0 MIL.  50% of $7.0 MIL is $3.5 not $3.25.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Good lord, Paul Ranger has a better PPG than Clarkson.

Also, as if on cue...

@bradyfan590 

Incredible: Colton Orr's 12/13 season, Time-On-Ice per point? 70:17. Clarkson's 13/14 season TOI/point? 68.46.

 

[Stickytape]

So, what you're saying is that he can only get better?

 

[freer]

So, what you're saying is that he can only get better?

That sound like a true statement.

I was alway under the impression that he was a big strong guy. After watching him last night, he really does not knock people over, and seems to fall down alot.

 

[Corn Flake]

I think Clarkson will help this team, especially come playoff time and we all seem to forget that the cap is going up, up, up, some are even talking 90 million in 3 years. What of Clarkson's contract then when we  have seen him help this team, which he will

I agree.. give it time. This season is a total bust for sure, but I think next season he comes around.  I think he needs the right centre to excel. He's not working with Kadri. I think he will work well with Bolland and looked a bit better with Holland.

He had a good 2-3 chances last night in close.  The goals will come. Eventually.

 

[freer]

I think Clarkson will help this team, especially come playoff time and we all seem to forget that the cap is going up, up, up, some are even talking 90 million in 3 years. What of Clarkson's contract then when we  have seen him help this team, which he will

I agree.. give it time. This season is a total bust for sure, but I think next season he comes around.  I think he needs the right centre to excel. He's not working with Kadri. I think he will work well with Bolland and looked a bit better with Holland.

He had a good 2-3 chances last night in close.  The goals will come. Eventually.

Arent you the optimistic one here.

I dont mind his play too much, he should be trying to cycle puck more.

I really wish he would just shut up when around the ref's.

 

[Corn Flake]

I think Clarkson will help this team, especially come playoff time and we all seem to forget that the cap is going up, up, up, some are even talking 90 million in 3 years. What of Clarkson's contract then when we  have seen him help this team, which he will

I agree.. give it time. This season is a total bust for sure, but I think next season he comes around.  I think he needs the right centre to excel. He's not working with Kadri. I think he will work well with Bolland and looked a bit better with Holland.

He had a good 2-3 chances last night in close.  The goals will come. Eventually.

Arent you the optimistic one here.

I dont mind his play too much, he should be trying to cycle puck more.

I really wish he would just shut up when around the ref's.

Someone has to be at least a little bit optimistic. The other side is very well covered.

I wish he would go out and slam guys into the boards every shift.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I wish he would go out and slam guys into the boards every shift.

Yup. I remember in the Montreal game he threw a big hit on Subban right off the bat and I was like "finally!". Then he proceeded to do nothing for the rest of the game.

Even if all he did was hit guys like Komarov a lot of people would back off on the criticisms.

 

[freer]

I just wish, he would not fall down so much