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With the 2014-15 NHL season nearing we begin to see an added discussion as players, coaches, and fans alike prepare themselves for the upcoming year.
That said, there are many expectations and perhaps even certain levels of curiosity toward certain players from the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the new additions of guys like Stephane Robidas, David Booth, Mike Santorelli, and the reintroduction of Leo Komarov and Matt Frattin, fans are likely to experience mixed emotions and or expectations for this upcoming season.
That said, and just as importantly, there are players from last year’s roster who have an equal or greater level of anticipation from fans. One player in particular who I feel will receive a lot of attention and expectation to improve upon last year is David Clarkson.
Without getting into the details and arguable tribulations surrounding his contract, I’d like to discuss and also get an idea of how you feel about this particular player. While I understand that a player's cap hit ultimately affects their "worth" to a team, keep in mind that players such as Clarkson are always overpaid as free agents and that his salary isn't a direct reflection of what he's necessarily expected to provide to the team. It's just part of business.
With that out of the way, last year (on paper) happened to be David Clarkson’s worst season in terms of offensive production so far in his career. In fact, his suspension(s) arguably did more harm, all things considered, than what he offered on the ice.
That being said, at only 30 years of age, Clarkson has a fair amount of hockey left to offer to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the league as a whole. That being said, I do not personally feel that we have seen much of what Clarkson can offer to this group.
While it appears to me that the player perhaps tried a little too hard to impress in terms of leadership and character which backfired in a few too many instances, I believe that with the recent additions to the organization that he should be able to focus more on what he does best – pester the opposition and bang in a few goals while doing so.
The thing about David Clarkson is that he plays best when he’s not trying to, or needed to do too much. When he’s able to play a simple crash and bang type of game and when he’s able to sit in front of the net and wait for his opportunity to strike, is when Clarkson is most effective as a player. Conversely when “relied” upon to score goals or perhaps looked upon to help “carry” his line is when we may see this player struggle. And the thing is – Clarkson wasn’t brought into the organization to fulfill such a role.
Some may argue that given the price in which Clarkson was paid that he should be someone who they can rely on for secondary scoring or be “the guy” on his line. Well sorry folks, he’s not that guy. David Clarkson is a strong complimentary type player who excels when he’s able to find his opportunities. He needs guys who can get the puck to the net, get the puck down low, or start an offensive rush. He’s the guy who will dig the puck out of the corner, crash the net hard, and help create space for the players such as Nazem Kadri who have the skill-set to bury the puck or finish the play.
Unfortunately for Clarkson I feel that the expectation from fans were a little too high given the price which they paid to acquire him and his services. Fans saw a 30 goal season and thought – “Awesome, another high end scorer!”. Again, I apologize to those who felt that this is what they were getting out of #71. David was paid the dollars he received because he was a “hot commodity” on the free agency market, and that’s the cost of acquiring players for nothing but cash.
So I ask you – is David Clarkson someone you consider as an asset (contract discussion aside because there's nothing we can do about that), or would you dump/trade him if you had the opportunity? Are you perhaps willing to give him the chance to find his true role with this team during the upcoming season, or was this just a bad acquisition altogether?
Here's also a link to a recent interview of Clarkson courtesy of Sportsnet where he explains his struggles and how he plans on overcoming them for this upcoming season.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/leafs-clarkson-training-with-sid-the-kid/
Thanks for reading!
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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