3 Toronto Maple Leafs That Could be Underrated Next Year
By Joseph Zita
2. Wayne Simmonds – 32 years old – RW/LW
2019-20 stats – 68 GP – 8 G – 17 A – 25 PTS – 47.2% CF%
Career stats – 909 GP – 251 G – 248 A – 499 PTS – 49.6% CF%
Wayne Simmonds will more than likely be an underrated player on this team next season mainly because expectations are so low.
The Leafs more or less brought Simmonds in to replace Kyle Clifford, so if he scores at all he’s going to be a pleasant surprise. A chance to play on a very skilled and fast paced Maple Leafs team could well revitalize his career.
Simmonds said after he got signed by Toronto that this is the healthiest and best he’s ever felt in a couple years due to his history of injuries which is a good sign if you’re a fan of this team because a healthy Simmonds could turn out to be an impact player.
Simmonds has the experience and physical presence this team has supposedly lacked in recent seasons. Obviously the Wayne Simmonds the Toronto Maple Leafs are getting next season isn’t the same guy who was putting up 20-30 goal seasons and 50-60 point seasons as a Philadelphia Flyer, however he still has the skill set and the physicality to chip in at least 30 points a season in a bottom six role.
If Simmonds is healthy and feeling great like he said he is then having a guy like him on this team for $1.5M is more than fair in my opinion. With the departures of both Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson Simmonds will have a chance to show he can still play, and if he can his acquisition will turn out to be very underrated indeed.