Wayne Simmonds
Injuries have derailed the last couple of seasons for Simmonds. After inking a decently lucrative one-year, $5 million contract with the New Jersey Devils last offseason, Simmonds could not find a steady fitting at any point during the 2019-20 season.
Ever since the Scarborough, Ontario native was dealt away from the Philadelphia Flyers in the middle of the 2018-19 season, Simmonds has been a shell of his former self. In his prime, Simmonds was the perfect model of an NHL power forward. Registering at least 24 goals in every season from 2013-14 to 2017-18, Simmonds was an unstoppable force in the offensive zone. His best season came in the 2015-16 season, where Simmonds finished with 32 goals, 60 points, and 192 hits (stats; hockey-reference).
Heading into the 2020-21 season, similar to Thornton, this may be Simmonds’ last chance to finally win the Stanley Cup as no one knows where his future lies in this league. If he proves he can still handle NHL minutes and can play more like he did back in his Flyer days, it is safe to assume there will be a suitor out there for him.
However, if he cannot, and he plays along the lines of his 2019-20 form, it is hard to see a team jumping at the chance to ink the power forward. Out of 798 skaters to play at least 50 total minutes last season, Simmonds ranked 771 in WAR at -0.9 (stats; evolving-hockey.com).
It remains to be seen if having not played a single minute of NHL hockey in over 9 months will give Simmonds enough time to rehab his nagging injuries, train to get stronger, and rest his body to be ready for the 2020-21 season.