The Return of David Clarkson
The Leafs executed an exchange with the Vegas Golden Knights that on the surface didn’t make sense. Many fans were scratching their heads when this trade was first announced. It saw Garret Sparks shipped out and David Clarkson returned to his hometown.
In the swap, the Leafs also received a fourth-round draft pick in the 2020 NHL draft. The real return though is far more complicated than that. CapFriendly tried to break things down as simply as possible.
There is still much that can happen between now and Oct 1, but by acquiring David Clarkson's contract, the #Leafs could now build a roster with a total projected cap hit as high as $92,050,000, and then place both Horton & Clarkson on LTIR to cover the $10.55M difference. https://t.co/fdTTVz90zB
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 23, 2019
This deal makes sense because the team and Marner have yet to come to terms. Since Marner is a restricted free agent, it means that if he doesn’t work out a new deal before the start of next season, his cap hit gets prorated. It was something that Dubas was quite familiar with having had that exact scenario play out with William Nylander last season.
Should Marner have found himself without paperwork when the season started and the Leafs didn’t execute this trade, the franchise would have been in a tough position. Without the cap flexibility, each day of the season that negotiations carried on would have made getting the deal done even more difficult and eventually, impossible.
Clarkson hurt his back at the end of the 2015-16 season. That injury has kept him from returning to NHL. It also means that he will not be playing for the Leafs this season. He will be placed on long term injury reserve (LTIR), which will give Toronto the cap relief that they need.
The Leafs also have Nathan Horton on LTIR. Both his and Clarkson’s contracts expire at the conclusion of the coming season. Interestingly, these two men were traded for one another in 2015. That deal was done so that Clarkson’s cap hit could come off the books.
Ideally, Marner signs prior to the start of the season, but if he doesn’t, then this will be an important transaction. If the team had already determined that Sparks was not in their future plans then this works out to be a good trade. Of course, if Sparks bounces back to have a monster season, it will be a trade that fans forever criticize.
Grade: B