In perhaps the most surprising move of the year, the Columbus Blue Jackets have traded forward Nathan Horton to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for David Clarkson.
At this point it seems like Horton is unlikely to play again, so Toronto is basically acquiring a player who will never see the ice. They'll have to pay him, but he'll be placed on LTIR so his dollars won't count against the cap. Basically, they used the fact they're loaded with money to buy cap space.
As for Columbus, they're a small market team that can't really afford to waste money, so in acquiring Clarkson they'll have a body who will actually dress and potentially make some contributions. Horton's cap hit was actually a little higher than Clarkson's, so they're going to save money and have a warm body in their lineup.
Clarkson fits the style that Todd Richards and co. like their team to play, and I think he'll be better in Columbus than he has been in Toronto. That said, I don't think he'll ever be more than a 10-15 goal, 25-30 point player.
Columbus may be better off with Clarkson than an injured Horton, but Toronto is the clear winner in this one, as they are gaining over $5 million in cap space.
It should be very interesting in Columbus leading up to the deadline, as James Wisniewski, Mark Letestu and Cam Atkinson, among others, are names that have been thrown out there.
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