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Wayne Simmonds

Maple Leafs Recall Alex Steeves And Wayne Simmonds

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The Maple Leafs have made a pair of roster moves today as they’ve recalled wingers Alex Steeves and Wayne Simmonds, per the AHL’s Transactions log.  CapFriendly clarifies (Twitter links) that both moves have been registered as emergency recalls and thus do not count against the post-deadline four-recall limit.

Steeves is back just one day after being sent down.  The 23-year-old suited up in Tuesday’s game against New Jersey, marking his third NHL appearance of the campaign where he has been off the scoresheet.  Steeves also got into three games at the top level last season but has spent the bulk of the campaign with the Marlies where he has 17 goals and 28 assists in 54 games, good for second on the team in scoring.

Simmonds, meanwhile, was sent down last month following the Ryan O’Reilly trade but hasn’t seen any action in the minors this season.  The 34-year-old has suited up in 13 games for the Maple Leafs this season, recording just a single assist while averaging a career-low 7:25 per night.  He’s in the final season of a two-year contract in what could be the swan song of a 15-year NHL career.

Prior to the recalls, Toronto had just 11 forwards on their roster.  That permitted one of the moves to be an emergency recall while the other is likely hedging their bets in case center John Tavares isn’t able to return on Saturday against Edmonton although the captain was a full participant in practice today.

Wayne Simmonds Clears Waivers

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Feb 15: Simmonds has cleared waivers, meaning the Maple Leafs can now send him to the minor leagues (at least on paper) when necessary.

Feb 14: The Toronto Maple Leafs have again placed Wayne Simmonds on waivers, according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN, allowing them to move him up and down when necessary. Simmonds has already cleared twice this season.

The veteran forward is essentially a practice player at this point in his career, suiting up just 13 times for the Maple Leafs so far. He isn’t going to play in the minor leagues – in fact, he has never suited up for a minor league club in his 15-year professional career – but the team will move him down whenever they have a bit of a cap crunch.

That is likely in preparation for the trade deadline, which Simmonds will now be waiver-exempt through should he clear tomorrow. If the Maple Leafs add a forward, which is expected at this point, cap will need to be opened up.

One thing to remember is that after the deadline, there is no longer a 23-man roster limit. If you have the cap space, you can carry as many players as you want. In Toronto’s case, Simmonds will likely be up whenever someone is injured, and at the very least is going to be with the team for the playoffs, staying ready to go in if necessary.

Wayne Simmonds, Zach Sanford Clear Waivers

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Nov 23: While Hellberg was claimed yet again, both Simmonds and Sanford have cleared and can be sent to the minor leagues.

Nov 22: The NHL waiver wire is busy today, with three names available for claim. Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets reports that Wayne Simmonds of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Zach Sanford of the Nashville Predators, and Magnus Hellberg of the Seattle Kraken have all been placed on waivers.

For Simmonds, this isn’t much of a surprise. The 34-year-old has already passed through waivers once this season in early October. No longer a regular in the Toronto lineup, he has bounced up and down between the NHL and AHL whenever necessary, playing in just four games to this point. He’ll likely continue to do the same thing, but needed to have his waiver clock reset after 30 days on the active roster had passed.

Hellberg, meanwhile, will just have to hope he doesn’t have to move again. The veteran netminder signed with the Seattle Kraken but when the team tried to waive him early in the year, the Ottawa Senators grabbed him while they dealt with goaltending issues. While he was taken back by the Kraken, he hasn’t actually played for them yet and is now at risk of another claim. Given his success in the KHL and .935 save percentage in one game with Ottawa, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Hellberg on his way to a new team tomorrow.

It’s Sanford that is somewhat surprising among the three players, as this will be his first time on waivers. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $850K contract with the Predators in the offseason after splitting last year between the Senators and Winnipeg Jets. In eight games so far he has just two points, and saw fewer than 13 minutes in last night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Notably, he took an interference penalty in a tie game with only 2:52 remaining that could have easily cost the Predators the game, though they would eventually kill it off and win in a shootout.

Because of his size, inexpensive contract, and history of success in the league – Sanford scored 16 goals and 30 points in 58 games during the 2019-20 season – there’s a reasonable argument to be made for a team to claim him. If he isn’t taken, though, clearing waivers will give the Predators a bit more roster flexibility.

Toronto Maple Leafs Activate Matt Murray

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As expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs have activated Matt Murray from long-term injured reserve ahead of their matchup tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In a pair of corresponding moves, Wayne Simmonds and Keith Petruzzelli have been returned to the minor leagues, according to CapFriendly.

Murray, 28, has played in just one game this season, allowing four goals on 23 shots. In his absence, the team had been running a duo of Ilya Samsonov and Erik Kalllgren until the former suffered an injury of his own, leaving the latter to handle the entire load. Petruzzelli, who earned an NHL contract just so the team would have two eligible goaltenders, did not see any action during his recall.

The Maple Leafs took a big gamble acquiring Murray this year, after injuries have ravaged his performance the last few years. When he takes the ice tonight he will be appearing in just his second NHL game since March 5, when he last played for the Ottawa Senators (and allowed eight goals on 31 shots).

It should, at least, be a familiar spot for him to try and get back on track. Murray spent the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, posting a .914 save percentage over 199 regular season games and leading the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. It’s easy to forget just how well he played during those playoff runs, including posting three shutouts and a .937 save percentage in 11 games after returning from injury in 2017.

If the Maple Leafs could get that Murray back they might be one of the most dangerous teams in the league, but he hasn’t existed in recent years. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Murray has a .898 save percentage in 86 games.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Wayne Simmonds

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have made another roster change, recalling Wayne Simmonds from the minor leagues and assigning Filip Kral back to the AHL. The move comes in advance of Timothy Liljegren’s expected return tomorrow night.

It also follows an incident against the Philadelphia Flyers where Auston Matthews was involved in a scrum. When Travis Konecny tried to fight the Maple Leafs superstar, Michael Bunting and (especially) Mark Giordano stepped in to defend him. Simmonds, of course, is known more for his physicality than his offensive prowess at this point in his career, and could be inserted back into the lineup to give Toronto a little more bite.

Kral, 23, made his NHL debut and appeared in two games during his recall, averaging just under ten minutes of ice time. The fifth-round pick might be a decent depth piece for the team but it is obvious that head coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t trust him to play a regular shift, meaning Liljegren’s return will be a welcome sight for Maple Leafs fans.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Pontus Holmberg

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Looking for a change, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Pontus Holmberg from the AHL. To make room, Wayne Simmonds has been sent back to the Toronto Marlies. Simmonds cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, so can be assigned freely for the time being.

Holmberg, 23, has turned into an interesting prospect for the Maple Leafs. A sixth-round pick in 2018, he developed into a star player in Sweden, winning a league championship and being named playoff MVP. He followed up the impressive postseason performance with a 41-point season, and even got a taste of North American hockey with a six-game look with the Toronto Marlies last spring.

Still, despite all that success, it’s hard to imagine Holmberg really being the key to unlocking the Maple Leafs this season. At best he is probably an upgrade in the bottom six, capable of playing center or wing. But with just two assists in seven games with the Marlies this season, the offensive upside of a player like Holmberg is limited.

With Toronto struggling to score at even-strength (and in general), they’ll need their stars to play better – not just the bottom-six.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Three Players

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced the recalls of three skaters this morning, calling up forwards Nicholas Robertson and Wayne Simmonds, as well as defenseman Victor Mete. These moves come after starting netminder Matt Murray was placed on long-term injured reserve yesterday, a move that gave a cap-strapped Maple Leafs team some more breathing room under the salary cap.

Toronto had been operating with a roster holding the bare-minimum eighteen skaters and two goalies. Now, with this move, the team is utilizing all 23 of its allocated roster spots thanks to the additional room Murray’s LTIR placement provided.

With these recalls, Robertson and Simmonds are likely to start off as Toronto’s 13th and 14th forwards. In those roles, Robertson would likely fill in for any absences on the Maple Leafs’ scoring lines, while Simmonds would fill in for any absences in the team’s bottom six.

We covered earlier this month how the Maple Leafs were shopping Simmonds, a 1019-game veteran, but perhaps now that Simmonds has a place on Toronto’s NHL roster there won’t be the same sort of push to find a deal for him.

As for Mete, he was called up to in all likelihood serve as the team’s seventh defenseman. That’s a role that the 24-year-old should be able to handle capably, as he has had a place in NHL lineups since making his debut with the Montreal Canadiens in 2017-18.

The Maple Leafs are 2-1-0 and widely expected to be among the league’s best teams, although there has been concern about how well the team’s depth would hold up against the rigors of the NHL regular season. Now, we will see the organization’s depth face its first real test as these three players assume their roles as spare skaters in Toronto.

Maple Leafs Notes: Bunting, Goalies, Simmonds

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In the 2021 offseason, Michael Bunting had strong interest but at a limited price tag having only had less than a half-season of NHL playing time under his belt.  He signed a two-year deal with Toronto, one that has already become one of the top bargains in the league at a cost of $950K per season.  The 27-year-old is a year away from testing the market again where his market will be much stronger.  That said, he told reporters including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, that his preference is to remain with the Maple Leafs:

I’m a Toronto boy, I love playing for the Maple Leafs. This is my home. It’s so much fun putting on that sweater every single night and that’s what I will say about it.

Bunting finished third in Calder Trophy voting last season after putting up 20 goals and 43 assists in 79 games.  A similar showing this year on Toronto’s top line could put him in a position to command $5MM or more in free agency next summer which could make it tricky for the Maple Leafs to keep him around in that situation.

More from Toronto:

  • Goaltender Matt Murray is the scheduled starter tonight against his former team in Ottawa but Sports Illustrated’s David Alter reports (Twitter link) that Murray left the game-day skate early with a groin issue. Ilya Samsonov would get the nod if Murray can’t suit up for this game.  However, who would back him up would be in question as Erik Kallgren was injured in the AHL last night while Joseph Woll is still working his way back from injury as well.  Their only other NHL-contracted goaltender (Dennis Hildeby) is in Sweden so he’s off the table for tonight.  That means that if Murray can’t dress (and that hasn’t been ruled out just yet), they’ll either have to convert one of their AHL-contracted goalies (Keith Petruzzelli, Dryden McKay, or Dylan Ferguson) to an NHL deal and use a cap-exempt goalie recall (teams get two of those a season) or use an emergency backup (EBUG).  However, an NHL conversion would be tricky with the team at the 50-contract limit.
  • While the team sent winger Wayne Simmonds to the minors earlier this week, Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star notes that the veteran is not on Toronto’s AHL roster at this time. He’s currently skating with the injured Maple Leafs in the hopes of getting some clarity on what’s next for him.  In the short-term future, it doesn’t appear that seeing action with Marlies is in the plans.

Toronto Maple Leafs Shopping Wayne Simmonds

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs sent a league-wide email informing teams that veteran forward Wayne Simmonds is available for trade ahead of tomorrow’s opening-day roster deadline.

Per the aforementioned email, the Maple Leafs and general manager Kyle Dubas are less concerned with the return rather than “doing right by the player,” a theme the organization has committed to multiple times in recent years. While it usually has to do with giving European import players a chance for more minutes elsewhere, whether it be Mikko Lehtonen’s trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020-21 or Kirill Semyonov’s contract termination last year, it’s become a philosophy that helps them attract free agent talent.

The 34-year-old Simmonds is a veteran of 1,019 NHL games, which on its own makes him a valuable asset to teams around the league. Simmonds had five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 72 games last year, while his ice time was limited to a minuscule 9:20 per game. With players like Nicholas Robertson, Denis Malgin, and Zach Aston-Reese standing out in Leafs training camp, Simmonds no longer fits into the picture as one of the team’s 12 best forwards. Considering Toronto needs to clear salary and roster space fast, it was a foregone conclusion that they’d need to move someone out to make room.

Simmonds is still looking for his first Stanley Cup, surely a driving factor in his desire to keep playing. He has one season remaining on a two-year contract with a $900,000 cap hit, and he currently carries a 10-team no-trade list.

2022 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

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The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf

Arizona Coyotes: Andrew Ladd

Boston Bruins: Nick Foligno

Buffalo Sabres: Jeff Skinner

Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal

Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche: Nazem Kadri

Columbus Blue Jackets: Jack Roslovic

Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson

Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic

Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse

Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov

Los Angeles Kings: Cal Petersen

Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba

Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen

Nashville Predators: Luke Kunin

New Jersey Devils: P.K. Subban

New York Islanders: Anders Lee

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden

Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton

Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust

San Jose Sharks: Matt Nieto

Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz

St. Louis Blues: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman

Toronto Maple Leafs: Wayne Simmonds

Vancouver Canucks: Bo Horvat

Vegas Golden Knights: Max Pacioretty

Washington Capitals: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey

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