For the Toronto Maple Leafs to find a taker on David Clarkson, they had to find a very unique situation. And they found one in Nathan Horton of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Horton has not played a game all season and is recovering from a degenerative back injury that could sideline him for the rest of his career.
Here’s everything you need to know about Toronto’s new forward:
Name: Nathan Horton
Born: Welland, Ontario
Age: 29
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2, Weight: 229 lbs.
Drafted: 3rd overall by the Florida Panthers (2003)
Contract status: Cap hit of $5.3 million; Set to be UFA in 2020
Horton’s junior hockey career had a John Elway-esque start. Before the 2001 OHL Draft, Horton declared that he would not report to the Mississauga Ice Dogs if they selected him first overall. The club complied and instead Horton was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick by the Oshawa Generals.
“I was young. I don’t know,” Horton told the Vancouver Sun in 2011. “I had people telling me it would be better for me in Oshawa, who ended up picking me second, so that played a big part in my decision.”
Horton’s advice turned out to be solid. In two seasons with the Generals, he had 64 goals and 71 assists and was invited to Canada’s junior selection camp. He did not make the team, but his play caught the eye of several NHL scouts. The Florida Panthers ended up taking Horton with the third-overall pick of the 2003 NHL Draft. Only Marc-Andre Fleury and Eric Staal were picked higher.
It didn’t take long for Horton to make an impact in his rookie season. He scored his first-career goal on Nov. 1, 2003 and later became the youngest player to ever score on a penalty shot (Jordan Staal later broke the record). Horton’s celebration was short lived. A few days later, he was hit with the first serious injury of his career after tearing his rotator cuff and labrum in January 2004. He returned in March, but had to undergo surgery after the season. The next year, Horton again injured his shoulder — this time in a fight — and again he forced to have surgery to repair the injury. In 2005-06, Horton suffered a knee injury that caused him to go on injured reserve, but then he began to live up to his draft status. Horton scored 28 goals that season and followed it up a 31-goal campaign in 2006-07 and 27 goals in 2007-08.
Things seemed to be going well for Horton in Florida – he signed a six-year, $24-million deal in June 2007 – before injuries resurfaced again. He reportedly grew unhappy in Florida and the feeling was mutual with the Panthers. Florida traded him to the Boston Bruins along with Gregory Campbell in exchange for Dennis Wideman and two draft picks at the end of the 2009-10 season.
Horton fits in in Boston: Horton adapted very well with his new team. In his first year with the Bruins, he ranked second on the team in goals (26) and fourth in total points (53). Horton also made his first career playoff appearance. And, boy, was he important.
Horton scored two overtime-winning goals in Boston’s opening round victory over the Montreal Canadiens. And in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final against Tampa Bay, it was Horton that scored the series-winning goal that sent the Bruins to the Stanley Cup final.
Horton couldn’t have been having a better playoff until his injury woes returned in Game 3 of the Cup final. Horton was caught with his head down while skating up the ice and got absolutely crushed by Vancouver Canucks defenceman Aaron Rome, who later received a four-game suspension for the hit.
Horton was carried out on a stretcher and put into an ambulance. He did not return for the remainder of the series after he was diagnosed with a concussion. Boston eventually beat Vancouver and Horton earned the first Stanley Cup championship of his career.
The following year, Horton had another major concussion – this time, on a hit from Philadelphia’s Tom Sestito. He did not return for the remainder of the regular season or the playoffs.
In the lockout-shortened year (2013) – which turned out to be Horton’s final season in Boston – Horton scored 13 goals in 43 games and added seven more in the post-season. His most memorable goal that year came Game 7 against Toronto. Horton’s goal — which came just over nine minutes into the third period — helped fuel Boston’s wild comeback that eliminated the Maple Leafs from the post-season. Toronto has not played in the playoffs since.
Despite that, Horton and Boston parted ways following the playoffs. He signed a seven-year, $37.1-million deal as a free agent with the Blue Jackets. His tenure in Columbus got off to a rough start. Horton underwent off-season shoulder surgery and was unable to make his season debut until the following January. Horton scored in his first game with Columbus, but his good moments that season were few and far between. His problematic back led to a groin injury that shut him down for the 2013-14 season.
Horton’s tough road to recovery:
This past October, Horton was diagnosed with a degenerative back injury that put his 2014-15 season in doubt. It has been really hard on the 29-year-old. “I can’t stand up like a normal person,” he said last November. “I can’t bend over.”
Horton began to show improvement when he took part in a morning skate with his Blue Jackets teammates this past January. “In my heart, I’ve always believed he’s going to play again,” Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards said that morning. “I still feel that way.”
Whether or not Horton will be able to return remains unclear. The Maple Leafs are expected to put Horton on the long-term injured reserve, which means his cap hit will not count against the club’s salary cap for the remainder of his contract.
That was Toronto’s motivation for acquiring him.
