Clifford, a 29-year-old forward, has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) and 45 penalty minutes in 53 games this season, and 129 points (60 goals, 69 assists) and 819 penalty minutes in 660 games with the Kings. The Ontario native won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 with Los Angeles. He will also make his Maple Leafs debut on Friday.
"They didn't bring me in to outpace Auston Matthews in goals," Clifford said. "I know what I am and I know who I am and I know there's a lot of skill guys in here and there's a lot of guys who play hard too, so I definitely want to add that element. ... It's no secret, I've got a real love for this team. It's a childhood dream just to be able to put that jersey on. I'm excited about the opportunity ... I played in L.A. for a decade and built a lot of relationships so it's tough to move on from that. It was bit unexpected but now that I've had an opportunity to let things settle, I'm really excited to be here."
Dubas said Clifford, who he represented when he worked as a player agent for Uptown Sports, will bring toughness and competitiveness to Toronto's lineup. He can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"He has some elements we don't have in abundance," Dubas said. "You don't have to hide him; he's played a good portion of minutes for L.A. when they've won and even now with their group. We feel like he's a very competitive player but is also able to drive the play down to the offensive end of the rink. He'll be able to play in the bottom end of our lineup. His character, work ethic in the gym and in practice, I think he'll make a big impact here knowing his personality."
Moore, a 24-year-old forward, has five points (three goals, two assists) in 23 games with the Maple Leafs this season. The California native had eight points (two goals, six assists) in 25 games as a rookie last season.
Los Angeles receives the Columbus Blue Jackets' third-round pick in 2020, which Toronto acquired from the Ottawa Senators, and a conditional third-round pick in 2021. The Kings will retain 50 percent of Clifford's salary.
"If it had been available to do (earlier), we would have done it then," Dubas said of the trade. "Teams take their time, we're at the time of year where more things tend to get done as the deadline creeps up (Feb. 24). We had been looking at it and investigating and if we could have improved the team earlier we would much rather do that. When you're giving up assets and paying for something you'd want to be able to use it longer."
