Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds projects to be one of the top rental forwards available between now and next month’s trade deadline. In an appearance on the NHL Network (video link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the Predators are a team that has been linked to the 30-year-old. Nashville has plenty of cap room to absorb Simmonds’ $3.975MM deal this season and has enough players on below-market contracts that it’s certainly possible that they could fit him in on an extension as well. His 15 goals on the year would rank second to only Filip Forsberg among Nashville players and GM David Poile is known for trying to make a splash around the deadline.
Elsewhere around the Eastern Conference:
- In the same video, Friedman notes that Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello has seen his value take a hit with the way he’s played this season. The veteran came into this season with at least 49 points in each of the last five years but he has been limited to just 18 in 32 games so far while dealing with groin issues. Zuccarello is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and with New York in rebuilding mode, it appears quite likely that he’ll be dealt although the return may not be as high as it seemed heading into the season.
- The Senators will be without center Colin White until after the All-Star break, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He’s dealing with a shoulder injury sustained back on Thursday against Los Angeles. White very quietly sits second in rookie scoring this season with 26 points in 44 games. Meanwhile, Garrioch adds that defenseman Justin Falk is also nearing a return from a concussion sustained late last month while fellow blueliner Ben Harpur is taking contact in practice and should be able to return in the near future as well.
- Detroit has placed forward Michael Rasmussen on injured reserve, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. The move was done to create a roster spot so the Red Wings could activate defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who returns after missing the last 19 games with a fractured wrist. Rasmussen last played on January 5th, meaning that he has already missed the required seven days from a back-dated IR placement so he’ll be eligible to be activated at any time.
Stupid move by the Wings not sending Rasmussen down after 10 games. He hasn’t shown anything but awkwardness for his size.
Simmonds might be a decent rental option for the right price, but I would be very wary of giving him too much term when it comes to an extension. He’s a net-front player dependent on PP production that is otherwise increasingly incapable of generating offense for himself and his teammates. He takes a frustrating amount of undisciplined, pointless penalties at inopportune times, especially in the playoffs. All that being said, come playoff time, he will consistently bring physicality to his game and make life tough on the opposition.
Wrong Colin White link
STILL wrong Colin White link, Brian. You have to wonder if Simmers is taking frustration penalties, because of the tire-fire-season they’re having. When he’s on, he’s usually REALLY on. Even from a distance, he’s always given me the impression that he truly cares about playing hard for the fans. Win, lose or SOL, the peeps usually appreciate that from their players.