BREAKING: As training camp comes to a close, NHL teams have until tomorrow to get their rosters set and to be cap compliant. Unfortunately, some difficult decisions have to be made for teams who are right up against or over the cap, such as the Leafs. In this case, it involves Wayne Simmonds. On Sunday morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs let it be known that they are shopping the 34-year-old Scarborough native. Simmonds has spent the last two seasons with the blue and white, where he appeared in 110 games and scored a total of 25 points to go along with 141 penalty minutes. At the beginning of his tenure with the Leafs he got off to an amazing start.
Unfortunately, he suffered a broken wrist against the Vancouver Canucks in February of 2021, a game in which Simmonds scored two goals, and he simply was not the same after that. Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas has stated that the return isn’t important. He would like to do right by the player and find him a new home for the upcoming 2022/23 NHL season. I hope Dubas can find him a new home because this will likely be his final season in the NHL. While Simmonds is only 34 years old, he has played a lot of hockey throughout his career and put a ton of hard miles on his body. He has the injury history to prove it. Whether you are a fan of Simmonds or not, there is no denying that he gives his absolute all for his team and leaves everything he has on the ice every game. Some people are not fans of how Dubas handled certain things as Leafs GM, and I get it. In saying that, there’s no way you can say anything bad about how he handles his players and his relationship with them; pure class.
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Awesome Mike! Hope a team treats him well on his next journey
I don’t understand how Duby Dubas can say the return for Wayne doesn’t matter, as a GM his job is to maximize each and every transaction and I understand that it sounds ruthless, but his sole responsibility is to the TML and doing everything possible to improve the club. Personally I think the Leaf’s still need the skills that Wayne still possesses, which is to make sure that other teams don’t send anyone out to take certain liberties against other Leaf players. Either way I wish Wayne well, this from a long time former Scarborough resident!
Sad to see him go, I never wanted to spend the money it cost for a Leafs jersey but when Simmonds came to Toronto I was so excited to finally have some real toughness on the team that I spent the money for his jersey. Hope someone can fill his skates in that role. Best if luck Wayne train. Cheers 🍻