"Then there is Clarkson, of whom general manager Dave Nonis said, “I believe he has a lot of good years left in him.” He’d better, having just signed for seven years.
Honestly, though, what are the odds of that? Clarkson is 29 and plays a physical game that takes a toll on the body. He has scored 97 goals with 770 penalty minutes in his career. The other active forwards who scored between 50 and 100 goals and had more than 700 penalty minutes through their age-28 seasons are Chris Neil and Steve Ott. Neil, the player the Maple Leafs are probably hoping Clarkson winds up being, has never made more than $2.1 million in a season. Ott will make $3.2 million this season and remains best known for chirping Claude Giroux on "24/7." If Sean Avery were still playing, he’d be on this list, too, but Sean Avery is not still playing."