What Should the Toronto Maple Leafs Do With Wayne Simmonds?
By Luke Ryan
Playing Wayne Simmonds Isn’t An Easy Solution for the Toronto Maple Leafs
An outcome that seems reasonably likely, albeit perhaps the outcome that Toronto Maple Leafs fans might least want.
If the Leafs are truly keen to overhaul their fourth line and give ample opportunities to the likes of Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Adam Gaudette, Nick Abrusezze and Alex Steeves; they’ll be limited chances for Wayne Simmonds.
Any of the aforementioned names offer somewhat more than Simmonds does at this point of his career.
After all, they could all be relied on to offer something by way of a quicker pace that mirrors the Leafs ‘pressure kill’ tactic that worked so well on their penalty kill last year.
Simmonds can no longer bring a turn of pace to the table and this year won’t have the minor advantage of Jason Spezza alongside him also having lost any real turn of speed.
Perhaps the best way to balance such an approach will be to allow Simmonds to see limited ice-time in a very managed number of games.
In itself it’s not ideal as it will force the Toronto Maple Leafs to carry his cap hit for what are likely to be minimal points contributions.
The clear hope in this scenario is that the fourth line could offer up more than the sum of its individual parts, Wayne Simmonds included.
Question is; should the Toronto Maple Leafs continue down the path of giving Simmonds playing time in the NHL when he proved he can’t be fully trusted in the heat of the moment.
Likewise, does playing him send the wrong message about the playing style the team’s wants to be playing.
Obviously it has worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning having Patrick Maroon and Corey Perry in limited enforcer-type roles but the Leafs could simply opt to outscore rather than concern themselves with winning every nasty, physical battle (something even Simmonds no longer manages every time).
While there is value to icing Simmonds, the growing consensus among the Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase is that he’s never getting close to his past scoring totals and shouldn’t be valued even as a bit-part player on the roster at this point.