In the sporting world, I'm a nobody. I've no clout, no connections, no insider information—but, hey, I have my opinions. That said, I've been talking about Florida Panthers' center Nathan Horton being a good fit in Toronto since the fall of 2009.
Why?
He comes in at around 6'2" and 230 lbs. He's not afraid to throw his weight around or drop the gloves from time to time. He has recorded four seasons of 20 or more goals, and has one season wherein he broke the 30-goal mark.
According to Brian Burke's prototype of a desirable player, Nathan Horton is a sweet package.
The Maple Leafs are a young team, everyone knows this by now. Horton is just turning 25 (in a few days of this being written). The Leafs have something now that they've been painstakingly slow at developing since the lockout—team speed. Horton, for a big guy, can skate very well.
As an American, some understanding is at hand when I hear others talk about the allure of playing for the Maple Leafs when so many Canadian players grew up Leafs fans. I'm positive that there's a little more to attracting players to ...
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Article written by Derek Scarlino
Brian Burke’s Busy Summer: Making the Case for Nathan Horton
May 25th, 2010 by Derek Scarlino Leave a reply »
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