Toronto Maple Leafs: Some home cooking could do Wayne Simmonds wonders

Wayne Simmonds and the Toronto Maple Leafs have more than a marriage of convenience.

Wayne Simmonds is one of the more traveled players in the NHL.

Initially drafted by the Los Angeles Kings all the way back in 2007, Simmonds is probably best known for his eight-year tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers from June of 2011 to February of 2019. Over his tenure in the Orange and Black, Simmonds picked up 378 points and 1,108 hits over 584 games – perfectly exemplifying what it means to be a ‘power forward’.

From there, Simmonds was traded to the Nashville Predators in a homerun swing for a Stanley Cup berth, shipping back a conditional fourth-round pick and Ryan Hartman for his services.

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From there, things got weird.

After losing a shocker to the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs, the Predators opted against re-signing Simmonds and instead allowed him to test the open market. After spending the better part of his professional life in the Delaware Valley, Simmonds did the logical thing and signed with the Flyers’ closest alternative, the New Jersey Devils.

Fun fact: The Devils are owned by the same group that owns the Philadelphia 76ers: The Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment group.

From there, again, Simmonds was traded once more, this time to the pre-Taylor Hall Buffalo Sabres, where the then-31-year-old was once again allowed to walk when the season ended.

Factor in the whole ‘global pandemic screeching our world to a crashing halt’- thing going on, and Simmonds’ past two years have been rather jarring, to say the least. However, maybe his most recent move could be different.

You see, with his value at or near an all-time low, Simmonds opted to take his services north of the border for the first time in his NHL career, signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While one could argue whether Toronto was Simmonds’ best free agency destination, as he may have left money and/or more minutes on the table, but in this current climate, I couldn’t imagine a better situation for ‘The Wayne Train’ than a trip back home.

Hockey aside, Simmonds just welcomed his first child into the world this year (who is featured prominently in his Twitter profile picture). Being able to return home and be surrounded by friends and family will surely help to ease Simmonds’ transition into full-time hockey dad. Furthermore, with the start date of the 2020-21 season still very much up in the air – with the 2020 part of the 2020-21 season potentially in doubt – being able to settle in for the foreseeable future in a familiar place is about as ideal a situation as this year has to offer.

And honestly, on the ice, Simmonds may be just what the doctor ordered to land the Leafs their fifth-straight winning season overall and second under Sheldon Keefe.

Sure, Simmonds’ production has dipped pretty substantially from his 2013-18 prime, but even at 32, the right-handed shooter can still add some edge in a reserve role while bolstering any locker room with his patented veteran leadership.

In 1,015 minutes of action in 2019-20, his lowest on-ice time since a 45 game season with the Flyers in 2012-13, Simmonds was still able to record 145 hits splitting his time between New Jersey and Buffalo. If he just replicates that number with the Leafs in 2020-21, he’ll instantly become the team’s top hitter by a pretty noticeable margin.

And hey, even if Simmonds admittedly grew up a Red Wings fan, I imagine he will become a fan favorite with the Toronto Maple Leafs just like he has at every other stop along the way.