It’s been a tough tenure for Wayne Simmonds with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he deserves playoff ice-time.
So, why would the Toronto Maple Leafs consider Wayne Simmonds as an option after he was put on waivers and barely played with the team during the regular season? Well, it’s actually simpler than you think.
If you watched the Leafs game on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens you may have experienced this, but being inside of Scotiabank Arena gave you a different perspective. I was fortunate to attend the game and the applause/recognition for Simmonds was unlike any reaction for a current player all season.
Simmonds is beloved, not only be the fans, but by his teammates. Even though we’re not in the room every day and get to see it up close, it’s clear that he’s someone who is respected by his teammates and someone you’d go to war with.
Heading into the game on Saturday night, it was possible that this would be Simmonds last game at Scotiabank Arena and potentially last game of his career, depending on what Sheldon Keefe did with the line-up for the remaining three games.
Simmonds Should Play for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Playoffs
With that built-up anticipation of it being Simmonds’ last game, the crowd understood their assignment and so did Simmonds.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs were dominating the first period, Simmonds didn’t need to fight. In fact, fighting when you’re winning 2-0 is probably the dumbest time to square-up, but Simmonds wasn’t going to lose. He wasn’t going to have any momentum turn Montreal’s way, but instead was going to kill any possible chance they had to come back in the game.
I know that fighting isn’t what it once was, but it’s still crucial to the sport. It’s a necessary component of the game and can really change the outcome, depending on the result.
Simmonds stepped up and had 19,000 people screaming his name after he beat up Michael Pezzetta and did exactly what he needed to do.
Although he didn’t see the scoresheet in a 7-1 win, Simmonds continued to be a pest throughout the game. He was always in the mix and almost had another fight before the game was over.
That type of energy is important in the playoffs. There aren’t too many players on the Leafs roster that are tough or can have an impact like Simmonds can. When you’re in a long playoff series, you need a guy who can be an intimidating factor and someone who we’d all be okay with breaking their hand during a fight.
I know that sounds harsh, but you can’t have any of the top-six forwards fight because of the risk it has on their hands and they can’t sacrifice an injury at this time of the year. Simmonds needs to run around for seven minutes per night, hitting everyone in sight and be someone who the Tampa Bay Lightning are scared of.
Even though the Wayne Simmonds signing hasn’t gone as great as everyone expected, he still has time to change that if he’s inserted in the playoff line-up, as there’s no doubt he can make a difference.