TORONTO – Standing comfortably by his dressing room stall, David Clarkson refuses to dodge questions about a goal drought thats

TORONTO – Standing comfortably by his dressing room stall, David Clarkson refuses to dodge questions about a goal drought thats lingered 10 games into the start of his Maple Leafs career. Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . Hes willing answer queries for as long as needed. "Ask whatever you want," he says. And he understands the questions. But he also knows why he was brought into the fold in Toronto and why Dave Nonis and company chose to pony up seven years at $36.75 million. "I wasnt brought here to score 50 goals," Clarskon said earnestly after practice on Monday morning. "I was brought here for that full game that I bring, competing every night." Nonis made that point clear on the day he signed the Mimico native last July. The considerable size and weight of the deal aside – not to mention the 30 goals he scored two seasons ago – internal expectations for the 29-year-old did not hinge strictly on offence but instead on the range of tools and experience he could contribute to a group prospectively on the rise. And though he hasnt scored, with bad luck in a mostly defensive role primarily to blame, Clarkson has generally played that part with the Leafs, admittedly still adjusting to the new confines of life in Toronto. "He hasnt really let it affect anything about him," James van Riemsdyk said of Clarksons goal drought during a conversation with the Leaf Report. "I think hes come in and filled his role; [hes] played hard, finished checks, stuck up for his teammates and had a couple tough bounces as far as goal-scoring [goes]..." Predictably pesky and a willing physical combatant, Clarkson has actually been at his best as a puck-controlling, forechecking burden deep in the offensive zone – something the group at large has struggled with until spurts recently. Effective in that regard mostly alongside Mason Raymond, Clarkson leads the team in puck possession (CORSI,) despite starting many of his shifts in the defensive zone. "Thats something Ive always brought," said Clarkson, who has three assists, including a pair in the past two games. "In my career, Ive always been known to be a guy that down low is hard to play against, thats always in the blue paint, winning battles down low, finishing checks and driving the other team crazy." An admitted adjustment early on, Clarkson has been employed in a primarily defensive role so far, matched up against opposing top lines more often than not. Hes held his own in such duties – on the ice for just four goals against. Never was his effectiveness in this capacity more pronounced than his second game of the year. Playing alongside Raymond and Dave Bolland, Clarkson helped keep Sidney Crosby off the scoresheet for just the second time all season (to that point.) "The whole game, I was trying to hit Sid or trying to hit Malkin every shift because, if those guys are a little bit hesitant that you might do something, all of sudden maybe theyre looking over their shoulder and not as effective," he said. "I always try to play that same way." A Cup finalist with the Devils in 2012, Clarksons veteran credentials have also held sway among his more youthful teammates – all but a handful are younger than his 29 years. Nearly toppling the veteran Bruins in the playoffs last May, the Leafs looked to Clarkson and Bolland for aid in the leadership department this past summer. "Hes one of those guys you can look at to be a constant out there," James Reimer told the Leaf Report. "Hes just a good leader and hes a good pro. And a young team, thats what a lot of the time we need. You need those people that you can look up to." Reimer points the manner in which Clarkson has handled the early string of misfires offensively. "Hes not getting rattled, not breaking his stick, not swearing up and down," said the 25-year-old netminder. "He just comes to work every day." Several factors have worked to hold Clarkson in check offensively, luck and role most prominently among them. A sign of his unluckiness to date: the Leafs boast an even-strength shooting percentage of a paltry 2.6 per cent when Clarksons been on the ice this season, lowest on the team (with a minimum of 10 games played.) The several opportunities he has had, including a jam play opposite Jhonas Enroth on Saturday and a squeaker through the five-hole of Cory Schneider a week earlier, have fallen just shy of crossing the line. In addition to bad luck, Clarksons role has also changed from where it left off with the Devils. A first unit power-play contributor in Jersey, he is, at best, a second unit option in Toronto – stuck behind the skillful likes of van Riemsdyk, Raymond, Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, Nazem Kadri, and Tyler Bozak when healthy. Clarkson, who totaled 14 power-play goals and 24 power-play points the past two seasons, has averaged 1:50 per game on the man advantage thus far, down from the nightly 3:33 he garnered with the Devils last season. Not helping his cause offensively either is the limited amount of even-strength shifts hes started in the offensive zone – slightly above 17 per cent, lowest on the team – nor the amount hes shot the puck to date; just two per game, down considerably from the past two seasons. "We think that David Clarkson has got a lot to offer to our hockey club and hes had his fair share of chances," said coach Randy Carlyle. "Hes a little bit snake-bitten, but if he continues to go to the net the way hes been going and we continue to drive that middle lane and get pucks directed around him hell score some goals for us. We believe that." With career-highs of 30 goals and 46 points, the production is unlikely to ever match the annual $5.2 million pay grade, but rightly or wrongly, thats not why the Leafs signed Clarkson in the first place. "If David Clarkson doesnt score 30 goals in a Leaf uniform, but provides all the other things that we know hes going to provide were pretty comfortable were a better team," Nonis said on July 5. Clarkson says the early drought may have bothered him as a younger player, what with the now daily barrage of questions and pressure to contribute offensively, but with age, experience and a family, he appears neither frustrated nor agitated. He knows his poor luck is bound to change, also understanding the manner in which he can affect the game otherwise. "Theres so much that he brings to this team," Reimer said. “When he starts scoring, honestly itll just be a bonus." Custom San Francisco 49ers Jerseys . Fielder has been out with a herniated disk in his neck, and surgery was recommended after a follow-up exam and another scan Thursday with Dr. Cheap Custom Jerseys . Long snapper Patrick Mannelly announced Friday that he is retiring after a 16-year-career with the Bears, a span in which he played in a team record 245 games and snapped the ball 2,282 times. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/ . "It was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms," he said of his first game against the Boston Celtics. MIAMI -- This time when the game ended, the only gesture from Jonathan Papelbon was a fist pump. Papelbon, pitching for the first time since he grabbed his crotch and received a seven-game suspension, earned his 38th save with a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 2-1. "Did it look like I had rust?" he said. "I didnt feel rust." The game was Papelbons first since he blew a save against the Marlins on Sept. 14 and lost his composure when he was booed coming off the field. He grabbed himself in response, and then bumped umpire Joe West. His resulting suspension ended Sunday. "It has been boring, it has been aggravating," Papelbon said. "I play the game because I want to get in there as many nights as I can. It has been rough. It has been bad. I just really had to try to put Joe West in the back of my mind and carry on, even though I feel like I got the raw end of the deal." Papelbon saved the game for Kyle Kendrick, who pitched perhaps his final game for Philadelphia. Kendrick (10-13) went seven innings, had three hits and drove in a run. Kendrick can become a free agent after the season but would prefer to remain with the Phillies. "After I was done in the seventh, I soaked it up a little bit and looked around," he said. "Ive been with these guys through a lot. It was a little emotional, Im not going to lie. I dont like change. If it happens, Ill deal with it." Using teammate Ryan Howards bat for the first time, Kendrick broke a scoreless tie with two outs in the seventh when he doubled home Darin Ruf. Kendrick also singled twice and hiked his average from .095 to .136. The right-hander allowed only one run despite giving up five extra-base hits. Papelbon pitchedd around a one-out double in the ninth, striking out Enrique Hernandez to end the game. Fake Custom Jerseys Online. On an 84-degree night, the retractable roof at Marlins Park was open for the first time since May 23. The sultry weather seemed to suit both starting pitchers. Miamis Brad Hand allowed one run in seven innings. Marlon Byrd put the Phillies ahead to stay when he hit a one-out RBI single in the eighth off Chris Hatcher (0-3). Since losing slugger NL home run leader Giancarlo Stanton to a season-ending facial injury, the Marlins have scored less than three runs in nine of 12 games. They have one home run in the past nine games. "Were having a tough time scoring," manager Mike Redmond said. "We had some guys in scoring position and couldnt get a couple of hits to score some runs. Thats the way its been going since we lost G." TRAINERS ROOM Phillies: SS Jimmy Rollins has not run all-out to test the sore left hamstring that has sidelined him since Sept. 8, and its uncertain whether hell play again this season. UP NEXT Marlins RHP Tom Koehler (9-10, 3.76) makes his seventh and final attempt at his 10th victory in the series finale Thursday afternoon against Phils rookie RHP David Buchanan (6-8, 3.77 ERA). In six starts since Aug. 17, Koehler is 0-1 despite a 3.50 ERA. LHP Andrew Heaney (0-3, 5.33), the Marlins top prospect, will pitch the second game of a doubleheader Friday at Washington. It will be Heaneys first start since July 5. PAPELBONS RETURN Papelbon said hes looking forward to pitching in Philadelphia this weekend even though he expects fans will jeer him. "I enjoy pitching there," he said. "I dont let the boos get to me. They dont bother me. I dont hear them. I like pitching in that kind of environment." ' ' '