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Simon Benoit

Maple Leafs Recall Simon Benoit

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10/12 – The Leafs have loaned Benoit back to the Toronto Marlies.

10/11 – The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Simon Benoit from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, according to a team release Wednesday. In a corresponding transaction, they returned forward Bobby McMann to the Marlies after he cleared waivers earlier today.

Benoit will serve as the lone extra skater on the active roster and is not expected to play in tonight’s season-opening contest against the Montreal Canadiens. He can stay on the NHL roster for up to 30 days (or 10 games played) before he requires waivers to be returned to the minors.

The Maple Leafs signed Benoit, 25, to a one-year, league-minimum contract in August. The Laval, Québec, native played in a career-high 78 games last season for the Anaheim Ducks, notching ten points and a -29 rating whilst facing some tough minutes on a poor defensive squad.

Benoit is one of a trio of veteran blueliners signed to league-minimum deals Toronto has stashed in the minors, along with William Lagesson and Maxime Lajoie. Earlier in the preseason, few expected Benoit to be on the active roster for tonight’s game, given the team’s cap constraints, but defenseman Conor Timmins sustained a lower-body injury that has him on long-term injured reserve to start the campaign. He is out week-to-week, and while Benoit will likely remain up with the Leafs for a while, expect him to hit waivers again if needed upon Timmins’ return. Benoit was also sidelined with an injury of his own at one point, dealing with back spasms at the beginning of the preseason schedule.

Snapshots: Romanov, Mikheyev, Benoit

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New York Islanders defender Alexander Romanov was skating with the team’s first group as they started their training camp. This is a breath of fresh air after Romanov was announced as questionable for the start of camp, following shoulder surgery this summer. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello recently expressed caution with Romanov’s injury, quipping, “We will be as cautious as we can… if it were up to [Romanov], he’d play with two broken legs.”

The 23-year-old Romanov played in his third NHL season last year, his first with New York. He netted 22 points in 76 games with the Islanders, bringing his career totals up to 41 points through 209 games. New York acquired Romanov in a high-profile trade that sent the 13th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft to Montreal in exchange for Romanov and a fourth-round pick. Montreal then sent 13th overall and a third-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Kirby Dach. The Blackhawks would go on to select Frank Nazar and Gavin Hayes with their respective selections, while the Islanders brought in Isaiah George with the fourth-round pick they received from Montreal.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Vancouver Canucks announced that Ilya Mikheyev has left training camp for personal reasons. The Canucks acquired Mikheyev in advance of last season. He scored 13 goals and 28 points in 46 games with the club, although an ACL injury ended his season early. While his departure from camp doesn’t seem connected to that injury, it does add to the anticipation that Canucks fans face in waiting for Mikheyev’s return.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defender Simon Benoit missed the team’s start to training camp, suffering from back spasms. The team signed the 25-year-old to a one-year, one-way contract this summer. No further details have been provided on how long Benoit may be out or what impacts it may have on how Toronto organizes its NHL and AHL rosters.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Simon Benoit

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have added some defensive depth, signing Simon Benoit to a one-year contract worth $775K, per a team announcement.

Benoit, 24, heads to Canada’s largest city after spending all five seasons of his pro career in the Anaheim Ducks organization. He skated in a career-high 78 games last season with the Ducks, forced into a top-four role on a paper-thin defense. He did notch three goals and seven assists for ten points while averaging 19:21 per game, but his -29 rating and 41.4 Corsi For percentage at even strength were expectedly unimpressive.

That’s not to say the 6-foot-3, 203-pound left-shot defender can’t be effective at the NHL level. He posted a much better analytical profile and possession metrics in a more limited role in 2021-22, which saw him skate in 53 games with the Ducks but averaging under 15 minutes per game. That being said, Anaheim simply didn’t envision Benoit as a part of their long-term plans as a depth defender considering the wave of higher-ceiling prospects they have on the way. Slated to be a restricted free agent this summer after signing a one-year extension with the Ducks in 2022, he was not extended a qualifying offer and hit the UFA market on July 1.

In 137 career NHL games with the Ducks, Benoit has four goals, 11 assists and 15 points. The Laval, Quebec product joined the Ducks organization on an AHL contract signed with the San Diego Gulls before the 2018-19 campaign after going undrafted by an NHL team. His junior stats were admittedly unimpressive, but he quickly showed in the minors that he could be a capable defensive presence at the pro level, earning an entry-level contract from the Ducks after his rookie season in San Diego.

However, it’s no guarantee Benoit can crack the Leafs’ roster out of training camp, especially given their salary cap crunch. It’s hard to envision him winning a spot in the opening night lineup ahead of their currently projected bottom pair of Mark Giordano and Timothy Liljegren, although his league-minimum cap hit does make him an appealing option for a seventh defenseman – if they can afford it. He would need to clear waivers to be assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, which is not guaranteed after he shouldered heavy NHL minutes last season and is on an affordable one-year deal.

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