The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team that is going to be upgrading as we get closer to the playoffs.
With a pretty good situation, as far as assets to spend and cap space goes, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be making moves as the season goes along, and it is up to us (the fans) to speculate as to who they will acquire and what they value in acquisitions.
Some of us think the Leafs need to add grit and toughness to their lineup. All of us pretty much agree they need to get Ron Hainsey off the first pairing.
One player that is currently making the rumour rounds is Wayne Simmonds.
Wayne Simmonds and the Toronto Maple Leafs
It makes sense that Simmonds would be linked to the Leafs: he is going to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, he carries a sub-four million cap-hit, and he would bring the toughness that some people think this team needs. He is also likely to be available if the Flyers don’t turn their season around quickly.
But is Simmonds a good fit? I think it’s questionable. For one, how much difference is one player playing maybe 15 minutes per night going to make, as it relates to overall team toughness and grit? Is one power-forward going to suddenly make the Leafs that much harder to play against? Especially if, as would be likely, he’s on the third line?
Plus, while he would add whatever his toughness is worth, he’d also detract from team speed, which is the Leafs strength. The Leafs six best wingers: Nylander, Marner, Kapanen, Johnsson, Hyman and Marleau are all much faster than Simmonds. Of those players, who would you take ice time away from to accommodate Simmonds?
Simmonds is listed as a right-winger, but barring a Kapanen trade, he’d almost certainly have to play the left side for the Leafs. Can he even do that? I won’t pretend to know, so let’s just set that caveat aside, and assume he could.
Is he really any tougher than Hyman? Is he going to be able to replicate the awesome chemistry between Marleau and Kadri? Doubtful. He certainly isn’t going to take icetime away from any of the other four.
Even before we get into the stats, there doesn’t seem to be any place for Simmonds on the Leafs. The only way it makes even remote sense would be if Kapanen or Johnsson was traded in a package for a defenseman. But even then, it’s arguable that at this point in his career Simmonds is not that much better than Brown, Lindholm or Ennis, if he is at all.
Wayne Simmonds Stats
First thing about Simmonds: he is in decline. His point totals in 2015-15 with 60. Then he scored 54, then 46 and now is on pace for under 40.
That said, he is a fairly consistent 30 goal scorer and this year should mark the sixth in a row he is in and around the 30 goal range, give or take. That’s great, but the Leafs aren’t hurting for scoring.
Simmonds takes a ton of penalties, and the Leafs are the Least penalized teams in the NHL. That’s a huge advantage that doesn’t get enough play. The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken 11 penalties less than the next best team that has played at least as many games as they have. That is really going to help you win games over the long term in the same way that possession of the puck means you play less defense.
Wayne Simmonds best attribute – goals – is superfluous on the Leafs, and his worst attribute – penalties – would hurt what is one of the Leafs best advantages.
Wayne Simmonds has a 48% possession rating, which is -4% relative to his team. If we look at the last three years of stats, Simmonds is still bad possession-wise relative to his team. If anything, the Leafs should be looking to acquire strong possession players, not bad ones.
Here is a nice chart where you can see that Simmonds is a much worst player in comparison to Patrick Marleau. Thanks to @billius27 for his beautiful charts.
In conclusion, Wayne Simmonds has one skill: he scores garbage goals. He is in decline, he is slow, he is bad at defense and he takes too many penalties. There isn’t even a spot for him to play on the Leafs. He is tough, but that toughness will result in ruining what is one of the Leafs best attributes as a team: they don’t take penalties.
In the end, Simmonds is a bad fit for the Leafs. If you believe the Leafs are too soft and won’t win just because they have a top five player at ever position and are the most skilled team in the NHL, I’m probably not going to convince you. But if you want toughness, there almost certainly are better options available.