Maple Leafs, LTIR, David Clarkson and everything you need to understand this trade

Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images This is Brandon Pridham, a terrible man.As you know, the Toronto Maple Leafs made us all laugh uncontrollably in mid-July by trading for David Clarkson. They sent off Garret Sparks and got back a fourth round pick, which I think is more than Sparks is worth, but not a lot more. More on that later. First, the burning question:

Why, though?

Because that man — points up — Brandon Pridham is a very smart man.

The point of all of this is cap space, LTIR, and how the calculation of LTIR actually works. We’ve all gotten used to the shorthand way of talking about LTIR as if it is a dollar for dollar reduction of the cap hit of a team. If only. It’s much, much…