Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign Simmonds to a 2 year extension (900k AAV)

[myleafs]

you trade for Foligno, you put him with Matthews and Marner, he scores a few goals in his first few games, he gets hurt, and you completely abandon that plan permanently? Why?)

I think it was because Foligno was damaged goods even more than Hyman at that stage. If it wasnt the playoffs I don't think we would have seen Foligno for a while. Keefe for whatever reason liked to split up lines that were actually working.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

All I will say is if they resign Jumbo Joe I will be firmly on the fire Dubas train....

 

[Muston Atthews]

Hopefully he plays pre injury physical. He completely lost his nastiness after the injury

 

[Leafsfan74]

Thing is he himself said last year that he came into camp in the best health he has had for 3-4 years. I have no doubt he will be in good shape to start but for him to have any effectiveness he has to play with an edge and when he does that he gets injured.

Who knows how he injured it. I recall the game in which Matthews was over excited in his celebration of Simmonds scoring and he jumped into him. Is it possible he jammed Simmonds wrist there? Was it the puck that hit him in the unprotected part of the wrist?

Who knows? Both would be freak situations though and not cyclical if he plays his game at full throttle.

I've had minor injuries to various parts while lifting and it wasn't my back injury of the past (long since healed thankfully) that were tough to deal with, it was my shoulder/scapula injury. I worked through it in the gym, but maybe 3-4 months later I could still feel the pain in the joint and I had the luxury of time, I'm not a pro athlete.
Ditto for knees, notoriously difficult to get blood to, thus, healing is slow, if you are lucky and it heals at all.

Now imagine playing NHL hockey with a bad wrist while consistently banging and applying short bursts of output. NHL players generally don't have the luxury of taking 3-4 months off when they can still play at 75-80% effectiveness. The pain can linger and it can severely impact your game. A wrist injury might not be career ending, but it can be persistent, especially after only a few weeks.

I'm not making excuses for Simmonds playoff disappearance, he is well paid to play his game. I'm simply stating my own personal experience and putting into context how it can impact someone engaging in a physical activity. If he was working through this wrist pain, depending on the nature of it; it could easily have put him offtrack. In fact, I would expect it to.

It's paramount that he come back fully healed and motivated. If I were him, it would be a summer without golf, batting cage or sensitive joint movement of any kind. I wouldn't even get off the couch using my wrist. If I am in the gym, I have a solid brace on and I'm taking it very easy with certain push/pull motions.

 

[myleafs]

Who knows how he injured it. I recall the game in which Matthews was over excited in his celebration of Simmonds scoring and he jumped into him. Is it possible he jammed Simmonds wrist there? Was it the puck that hit him in the unprotected part of the wrist?

Who knows? Both would be freak situations though and not cyclical if he plays his game at full throttle.

I've had minor injuries to various parts while lifting and it wasn't my back injury of the past (long since healed thankfully) that were tough to deal with, it was my shoulder/scapula injury. I worked through it in the gym, but maybe 3-4 months later I could still feel the pain in the joint and I had the luxury of time, I'm not a pro athlete.
Ditto for knees, notoriously difficult to get blood to, thus, healing is slow, if you are lucky and it heals at all.

Now imagine playing NHL hockey with a bad wrist while consistently banging and applying short bursts of output. NHL players generally don't have the luxury of taking 3-4 months off when they can still play at 75-80% effectiveness. The pain can linger and it can severely impact your game. A wrist injury might not be career ending, but it can be persistent, especially after only a few weeks.

I'm not making excuses for Simmonds playoff disappearance, he is well paid to play his game. I'm simply stating my own personal experience and putting into context how it can impact someone engaging in a physical activity. If he was working through this wrist pain, depending on the nature of it; it could easily have put him offtrack. In fact, I would expect it to.

It's paramount that he come back fully healed and motivated. If I were him, it would be a summer without golf, batting cage or sensitive joint movement of any kind. I wouldn't even get off the couch using my wrist. If I am in the gym, I have a solid brace on and I'm taking it very easy with certain push/pull motions.

If and thats a big if he was injured by a freak hit as you stated it still doesnt take away from the fact he was pretty useless. If he was that affected then why was he even in the lineup...ditto for Foligno. Simmonds has a long history of injuries so freak injury or not I fully expect him to miss a good chunk of games. I think Hyman is heading down this same path. The style that Simmonds was known for and what Hyman does takes its toll. For me the Leafs are trying to squeeze some juice out of a stone.....I hope I am proven wrong.

 

[CelticDruid]

Flabbergasted and amused at the same time.

I wish him well, but I ain't holding my breath on him staying healthy or scoring ten goals next year.

 

[Jozay]

Simmonds gave nothing to the Leafs last year. Good for him for getting the Leafs to lace his pockets though.

 

[gamer1035]

The full contract can be buried correct? Why are people mad about this, doesn't hurt us in any way.

And believe me, I hate our management/coaching team and want everyone fired.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

This is a terrible signing. Simmonds is done as a player. Completely washed and a waste of a roster spot. You could find better, younger players (at league minimum) who would be able to contribute far more than Simmonds. The 0 goals in his last 25 playoff games is one issue - I don't think anyone is expecting him to be a regular offensive contributor, but (like Mikheyev and Engvall) he won't contribute ANY offence, EVER. All teams that go far have occasional production from the deepest parts of their lineup and the Leafs are compiling players who will literally NEVER score, even if the playoffs lasted eternally. This is in addition to our "stars" who barely score (in the playoffs) as well.

Beyond the fact that he cannot and will not contribute any offensive production, the guy doesn't even hit. I never expected him to score goals, but I was expecting him to be a physical presence at the very least. He was nothing of the sort. He had 13 (!) hits in the series against Montreal. Galchenyuk had 15. Zero offensive ability, zero physicality, zero leadership (I didn't see this guy step up in any way when the wheels were coming off) and overpaid to boot. He fits right in with our group. Lmao this team and its management are a joke.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Robertson Matthews _________
Galchenyuk Tavares Nylander
Mikheyev ________ Marner
Engvall Spezza Simmonds
Brooks

More of the same which is fine, the depth didn't hurt us, Matthews and Marner did. Hope Marner is shooting 1000 pucks a day.

 

[mouser]

The full contract can be buried correct? Why are people mad about this, doesn't hurt us in any way.

And believe me, I hate our management/coaching team and want everyone fired.

The risk would be more that the coach/GM don't bury or bench Simmonds when they should, and instead play him over a more effective player.

 

[Gallagbi]

I don't blame Hyman; that was just another in a list of bonehead decisions Keefe made that I don't entirely understand (you trade for Foligno, you put him with Matthews and Marner, he scores a few goals in his first few games, he gets hurt, and you completely abandon that plan permanently? Why?)

I don't think Foligno scored a single goal as a Leaf. Hyman was also injured when Foligno was acquired, so that Hyman and Foligno deployment could have been the plan from the start.

 

[myleafs]

_________ Matthews Marner
_________ Tavares Nylander
Mikheyev ________ ________
Engvall Spezza Simmonds
Brooks

More of the same which is fine, the depth didn't hurt us, Matthews and Marner did. Hope Marner is shooting 1000 pucks a day.

I think we see Brookes on the 4th line, Engvall and Roberston on the 3rd and probaly Gally on the 2nd line....man that is eerily similar to what we just lost with.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

The risk would be more that the coach/GM don't bury or bench Simmonds when they should, and instead play him over a more effective player.

Nah. Our coach would never do something like that, right?

 

[Lightsol]

I don't think Foligno scored a single goal as a Leaf. Hyman was also injured when Foligno was acquired, so that Hyman and Foligno deployment could have been the plan from the start.

You're right, I misread the stats. He had four assists in his first few games with the Leafs playing with M&M. And if that was the case, it's actually worse, because it meant that regardless of who Dubas traded for at the deadline, Keefe was going to go down with the lines he used all year...

 

[GoonieFace]

Wasted roster spot IMO. Simmonds 4 or 5 years ago yes, but now he’s pretty useless. Right idea wrong execution. Dubas shows he really is clueless

 

[Gallagbi]

You're right, I misread the stats. He had four assists in his first few games with the Leafs playing with M&M. And if that was the case, it's actually worse, because it meant that regardless of who Dubas traded for at the deadline, Keefe was going to go down with the lines he used all year...

Foligno started the playoffs in our top 6, so that was a newer line and the rest of the lineup looked a little different too with Nash in for Brooks to start and a different 3rd line. There's a lot of comments about not making changes, but really Keefe changed a fair bit. It just didn't work.

I do think they fell in love with with top line too much, personally I wouldn't have had Hyman with Tavares and moved Marner with Kerfoot once JT went down.

 

[Aus34Matt]

It's nice to have Wayne Train back.

 

[tronoleaf]

It's the thought process behind the signing that is the problem.

1. He's not worth 900k
2. He's certainly not worth a two-year term at that amount
3. He was good during the easiest part of the regular season (pretty much a little hot streak)
4. He no-showed in the playoffs
5. He has displayed no visible improvement post-injury to suggest he'll be good next year let alone in the second season
6. Once again sets a bad precedent of paying players above their contribution to the team (every little bit counts)
7. That money being paid is still real money even when buried. They have an annual budget just like any other team. This will eventually limit his ability to sign depth contracts one way or another.

The bigger question is why does every contract Dubas signs have a built-in excuse with it?

Excuses such as he'll bury him in the minors or he can trade him because the player's contract is front-loaded with signing bonuses. Damn just sign a good contract straight up. They're so focused on cap manipulation that they don't even look at who they are signing and that player's actual worth.

The fact Keefe doesn't know how to use these players is icing on the cake. But that's a different story.

I actually think Dubas is a good GM but he has a flawed perspective on contract negotiations and the players he brings in. It started at the top with the stars and is now trickling all the way through the lineup.

I have nothing to add!

 

[tronoleaf]

Yeah, honestly I thought it was time to move on for anything more than the minimum. Prove me wrong, Wayne!

 

[ToneDog]

Kuraly just went 0 points in 11 games this post season. He has 2 points over his team's last 18 playoff games.

Not sure you can expect much of an offensive explosion from Kuraly come playoff team and his regular season numbers are much worse than Soup

Kuraly also has some physicality which Soup has none. Scored a big goal in the playoffs against us. Still take Kuraly if given a choice.

 

[Arzak]

Good signing, nice AAV.

I knew there is still some hope for Simmonds vs Marner.


Make it season opener thing. Thanks

 

[Nylander88]

_________ Matthews Marner
_________ Tavares Nylander
Mikheyev ________ ________
Engvall Spezza Simmonds
Brooks

More of the same which is fine, the depth didn't hurt us, Matthews and Marner did. Hope Marner is shooting 1000 pucks a day.

I'd like to see Engvall and Mikheyev out of that lineup for hungry kids like Robertson, Brooks, and Anderson. But agree.with what you said. You really think you'd have a better shot at this stage of your career if you're Marner. Robertson should give him some pointers

 

[showtime8]

It's the thought process behind the signing that is the problem.

1. He's not worth 900k
2. He's certainly not worth a two-year term at that amount
3. He was good during the easiest part of the regular season (pretty much a little hot streak)
4. He no-showed in the playoffs
5. He has displayed no visible improvement post-injury to suggest he'll be good next year let alone in the second season
6. Once again sets a bad precedent of paying players above their contribution to the team (every little bit counts)
7. That money being paid is still real money even when buried. They have an annual budget just like any other team. This will eventually limit his ability to sign depth contracts one way or another.

The bigger question is why does every contract Dubas signs have a built-in excuse with it?

Excuses such as he'll bury him in the minors or he can trade him because the player's contract is front-loaded with signing bonuses. Damn just sign a good contract straight up. They're so focused on cap manipulation that they don't even look at who they are signing and that player's actual worth.

The fact Keefe doesn't know how to use these players is icing on the cake. But that's a different story.

I actually think Dubas is a good GM but he has a flawed perspective on contract negotiations and the players he brings in. It started at the top with the stars and is now trickling all the way through the lineup.

This is a pretty good assessment of what Simmonds brought to the table last season.

Some things I don't fully agree with, like 900k isn't that much if we're talking about the grand scheme of things. But when the Leafs are pinching pennies to find cap space, this might come back and bite them in the ass.

The ultimate thing it comes down to is, where is the fit in the line-up? I think it's pretty clear that he's not a top 6 player in the league anymore and that's fine. He doesn't have to be. His role can change as he gets older and he can find a niche to fit somewhere in the NHL. What I don't understand is, how significant the bottom 6 is going to look this season. If the roster turnover is going to be very similar to what they had last year, then it makes next to zero sense why they would bring Simmonds back. He doesn't skate well enough to be on a shutdown line. So you're almost pigeonholing him into that 4th line spot alongside Spezza. So my question to management would be, what kind of identity are you trying to create on the 4th line? It seems like it's going to be a mismatch of players all throughout the season and you're not really giving them an opportunity to succeed because it's constant moving parts.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

He is not a heavyweight get real

do you have any idea? not many guys can throw and beat tommy. in todays pro hockey he is a heavy. Real heavys maybe only Chara and Reaves, Ritchie left.