So, the David Clarkson thing didn't work out. It had all the hallmarks of a great story: the Toronto kid comes back home to play for his hometown team, the team he always dreamed of playing for, and having earned a big contract to boot. Toronto was getting one of its own back, and its own was a bonafide superstar.
... Except that's really not how things ever were. Clarkson is from Toronto, yes; a bonafide superstar, he never was. The beneficiary of a couple of good years (46 points one year; half a point per game the following lockout season) and a weak free agent market set up the perfect storm for Clarkson to get a giant contract.