We've pinched ourselves and waited 'till morning. David Clarkson is still a Columbus Blue Jacket. Strapped with way too many long term deals for a bottom five hockey club, the Leafs needed to open up cap flexibility. Nobody expected they would be able to offload the League's biggest boat anchor. Not in a million years, not without giving up assets and retaining salary. Thankfully Columbus came knocking, in a terrible spot with Nathan Horton's large and uninsured contract. Nonis kept a straight face, pulled the trigger, and the Leafs are in a much, much better position today than they were yesterday. Long Term Injured Reserve contracts count during the offseason, but teams...

The Clarkson-free Leafs had a strong first twenty-five minutes, out-chancing the Flyers and opening up a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals from the top line. The rest of the second period was all Philadelphia, as they dominated the chances, 10-1, but couldn't find a way past Jonathan Bernier. The Leafs started the third by widening the lead even further, but faced some penalty problems, as the Flyers had a number of chances on special teams, including a pair of power-play goals. Bernier stood strong, though, and the Leafs earned their first back-to-back wins of 2015. The first period was...

As Leafs fans rightfully celebrate not having to watch David Clarkson play hockey for 5 more years while taking up $5.25 million a season of their team’s cap space, here’s a basic reminder of how LTIR works now that the injured Nathan Horton is getting paid by the Leafs organization. Placing a player on Long Term Injured Reserve does not remove a cap hit altogether. In cases of LTIR, the cap hit is still technically on the books and the team is granted an exemption that allows them to exceed the cap by upwards of the full amount of the injured player’s cap...

Best day ever? Best day ever. The David Clarkson era ends, the Zach Sill era begins. Maple Leafs Projected Lines James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel Joffrey Lupul - Nazem Kadri - Richard Panik Leo Komarov - Olli Jokinen - David Clarkson Zach Sill - Peter Holland - David Booth Dion Phaneuf - Korbinian Holzer Morgan Rielly - Roman Polak Jake Gardiner - Stephane Robidas Jonathan Bernier James Reimer Scratched: Brandon Kozun, Petter Granberg Injured: Trevor Smith (lower body)

This is an amazing save by the Leafs and MLSE, flexing their financial muscle to expunge the worst contract mistake in team history. On Long Term Injured Reserve and effectively off the cap* (note: there are some ramifications on the cap for LTIR), Nathan Horton's career looks to be over due to horrible back injuries. From a piece by Greg Wyshynski: “I can’t stand up like a normal person; I can’t bend over. I can’t run. I can’t play with my kids. To get in and out of the car, I’m like a 75-year-old man … so slow and stiff. I can’t sleep at night. I...

The Leafs have re-acquired defenceman TJ Brennan in exchange for forward Spencer Abbott. https://twitter.com/alexfan590/status/571059990909345793 The Leafs re-signed Abbott, a former free agent signing out of college, while letting Brennan go last July, and have evidently decided to reverse their decision with this trade.. After an All-Star AHL season with 69 points in 66 games (and 11 more points in 11 playoff games), a season which included his first NHL game as a callup, Abbott took a considerable step back this season and, turning 27 in a few months, doesn’t appear to have a future at the highest level. Reasonably skilled but undersized and not particularly...

With the Daniel Winnik trade goes the Leafs' most consistent player of the past couple of months, as the Leafs get necessarily worse in the short term while fetching good value for their final major pending-UFA (Jokinen, Holzer and Booth could be moved, but if there's any value to be had is unknown). Roman Polak, with one year left on his contract, seems to be the most likely remaining candidate to be moved for value, while Tyler Bozak's name has been gaining steam as well, with Bob McKenzie reporting a possible New York Rangers connection yesterday. The Rangers don't ostensibly have the cap room,...