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NHL Toronto Maple Leafs

David Clarkson Rebounding From Awful First Year With Toronto Maple Leafs

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Clarkson

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

It might just be a the first month of the season, but David Clarkson couldn’t have asked for a better start to his second year with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto’s big free agent signing in the 2013 summer suffered a miserable first year wearing the blue and white. Clarkson dealt with suspensions, injuries and struggled to adjust to a new role while dealing with the pressures of living up to a $5.25 million yearly cap hit.

Entering the 2014-15 season, all Clarkson hoped to do was hit the reset button on his Maple Leaf career, and through the first 12 games he has done exactly that. The gritty right-winger has looked like a completely different player and appears to be taking the ice with a lot more confidence compared to last season.

Some have pointed to the face shield Clarkson is wearing after suffering an injury during a fight in the preseason as a reason for his improved performance. One issue that plagued Clarkson last season was he looked to fight too often and didn’t concentrate on playing enough. Given the face shield is preventing Clarkson from fighting, he’s no longer playing the semi-enforcer role he often showed in 2013-14 and is now delivering quality second-line minutes.

Clarkson started the year on the third line, where he played most of last season, but now he appears to be penciled in as the everyday right winger on the second line and second power play unit with Joffrey Lupul out of action for several weeks.  The increased role has allowed Clarkson to show off more of his offensive abilities, something he wasn’t able to do as third-line grinder last season.

The 6-foot-1 forward can offer a lot on the offensive end if the Maple Leafs continue to give him the opportunities to showcase his skills. Clarkson doesn’t have blazing speed or a world-class shot like Phil Kessel, but he can routinely win battles in the corner and keep the play alive in the offensive zone. He’s also returned to being a menace in front of the net on the power play like he was with the New Jersey Devils, which only begs the question why it took the coaching staff so long to put him there.

Clarkson might only have three goals and four points in 12 games, but considering he finished with only five goals and 11 points in 60 games a year ago, it’s safe to say his reset button has been pressed.

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