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Player Discussion: Wayne Simmonds

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I don't think having just one "tough" guy on the team is enough (Ritchie) - Simmonds should be fine on the 4th line, he's not a complete liability.. I think him and Gabriel should split the season, more games going to whoever plays better.

I just hope that if his play is how the 2nd half of the season went last year they'll actually scratch him this time.. we have a lot of players that can replace him at or around league min.. cap shouldn't be an excuse to play worse players this year
 
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Simmonds last year:

Production:
GP: 38
TOI/GP: 11:59
Goals: 7
Points: 9


5v5 Stats:
CF%: 53.64
SF%: 56.27
SCF%: 51.25
HDCF%: 56.90
xGF%: 57.07
GF%: 50.78

Not bad for a depth player but among the many who were invisible in the playoffs. I'm still cool with him on the 4th line for his toughness and willingness to go to the net.
 
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Very odd to bring him back this year. He was good at the beginning of the season when nobody was playing D. Then he got hurt and was by and large just taking up a roster spot.

This is where I would have expected Dubas could find diamonds in the rough to fill these roles. Having toughness in your 12th or 13th forward doesn't make your team tough.
 
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It's preseason. As fans, we're reading touch into wins and then discounting bad things as "preseason".

Pretty sure he's a lock on the team.
 
Zybalto said:
Simmonds last year:

Production:
GP: 38
TOI/GP: 11:59
Goals: 7
Points: 9


5v5 Stats:
CF%: 53.64
SF%: 56.27
SCF%: 51.25
HDCF%: 56.90
xGF%: 57.07
GF%: 50.78

Not bad for a depth player but among the many who were invisible in the playoffs. I'm still cool with him on the 4th line for his toughness and willingness to go to the net.
Click to expand...
He scored 3 or 4 PP goals
 
noo said:
I don't think having just one "tough" guy on the team is enough (Ritchie) - Simmonds should be fine on the 4th line, he's not a complete liability.. I think him and Gabriel should split the season, more games going to whoever plays better.

I just hope that if his play is how the 2nd half of the season went last year they'll actually scratch him this time.. we have a lot of players that can replace him at or around league min.. cap shouldn't be an excuse to play worse players this year
Click to expand...

why can’t they all be “tough” guys?

If Brayden Point can be the aggressor why can’t Mitch Marner or William Nylander?
 
Nineteen67 said:
why can’t they all be “tough” guys?

If Brayden Point can be the aggressor why can’t Mitch Marner or William Nylander?
Click to expand...

Fair enough - I meant tough more as in a fighter type - but yeah, every player should have a bit of bite in their game, especially playoff time.

Not too concerned about Nylander, Matthews, or Tavares.. we've seen them all step up the intensity and play hard hockey when it's needed.. AM/WN showed a bit last year, we can only hope that'll continue and maybe they'll even turn it up a bit more as they grow..

I meant more like, guys who will break your face if you try hurting these stars - Ritchie alone won't be enough imo
 
noo said:
Fair enough - I meant tough more as in a fighter type - but yeah, every player should have a bit of bite in their game, especially playoff time.

Not too concerned about Nylander, Matthews, or Tavares.. we've seen them all step up the intensity and play hard hockey when it's needed.. AM/WN showed a bit last year, we can only hope that'll continue and maybe they'll even turn it up a bit more as they grow..

I meant more like, guys who will break your face if you try hurting these stars - Ritchie alone won't be enough imo
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It’d be nice to have Reaves that can play a little and keep everyone honest. Gabriel can fight a little better than Simmonds and would rather dress him on the rare occasions that’s needed.

Ritchie needs to use his body to create openings for Matthews, but he doesn’t need to fight unless someone takes liberties.
 
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Nineteen67 said:
He scored 3 or 4 PP goals
Click to expand...

Yea, he got 3 of his goals on the PP which was nice.

He's certainly better than a typical face puncher like Gabriel or Reaves, thats for sure. The only question is whether or not one pickups/kids outplays him to force the teams hand.
 
Zybalto said:
Yea, he got 3 of his goals on the PP which was nice.

He's certainly better than a typical face puncher like Gabriel or Reaves, thats for sure. The only question is whether or not one pickups/kids outplays him to force the teams hand.
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Reaves can play adds energy and little entertainment.
 
Nineteen67 said:
Reaves can play adds energy and little entertainment.
Click to expand...

I do appreciate the energy Reaves brings but I just dont think he's all that effective on the ice anymore. 3+ years ago I would think about having him on the 4th line though. He had a pretty bad season last year.
 
Listening to Shanahan/Dubas'/Keefe talk about the guy it's pretty obvious they love what he brings off the ice/on the bench. While obviously that leadership element remains controversial for some whether or not those qualities should impact roster decisions, it seems clear they are at the moment.

When it comes to his on ice play, he's an above average replacement level 4th liner, getting 4th line usage, and has the added bonus of brining some scoring on the 2nd pp unit and toughness.
 
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TMLAM34 said:
Don’t get the hate, he’s a solid 4th line winger. Great in the locker room, great off the ice, provides physicality and will drop the gloves when needed. Not sure what people really expect from a 4th line guy for under 1 mill.
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He isn’t very good anymore and he should not be standing in the way of the kids making the team I know one reason they won’t get rid of him it’ll turn into a racial thing like last year put him on the Marlies to help the kids
 
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Zybalto said:
I do appreciate the energy Reaves brings but I just dont think he's all that effective on the ice anymore. 3+ years ago I would think about having him on the 4th line though. He had a pretty bad season last year.
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True.
Vegas got stale in a hurry and wasted all those draft picks.
 
The Simmonds before his injury was exactly what I expected to see. Even better than I anticipated. It's been repeated multiple times from multiple sources, so I'm not breaking any news with this assessment. I will thus remain bullish on the value that he will brings to this city.

Ideally he healed well and took care of himself this offseason. Hopefully he brings that similar memorable play to the fans this year. It's obvious that he cares about the crest. This local boy dedication should not be underestimated. It extends beyond just being a hockey game for players of his ilk.

Furthermore, he and Bunting bring that Scarborough attitude to their play. An attitude that every team wants more of (remember that the Habs, among others, were also interested in Wayne last season). These are players who shine most when the arena is packed and the crowd is buzzing. They quickly become fan favourites because they sacrifice, go to the difficult areas and in the case of Simmonds, he will back his teammates up.

We can all list off former Leaf players who brought this style to their game. Every single one of them were fan favourites. My hope is that Simmonds will play his role and become one such player.
 
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Nineteen67 said:
why can’t they all be “tough” guys?

If Brayden Point can be the aggressor why can’t Mitch Marner or William Nylander?
Click to expand...

You don't wake up one day and say THAT IS IT, I AM GOING TO PLAY TOUGH. You either are or are not.

Batherson was throwing hits at everyone last night. All in the flow of the game. Good for him.
Then on the PP in the 3rd period he took a run at Biega and hit him high.
That was the first time I said out loud somebody needs to go have a chat with him. My son said Simmonds. And next shift for those watching that is exactly what happened and surprisingly the running around like an idiot stopped.

Some posters believe intimidation in hockey doesn't exist, and dressing toughness is not required.
I would use this as exhibit A that in fact it does.
 
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The Iceman said:
You don't wake up one day and say THAT IS IT, I AM GOING TO PLAY TOUGH. You either are or are not.

Batherson was throwing hits at everyone last night. All in the flow of the game. Good for him.
Then on the PP in the 3rd period he took a run at Biega and hit him high.
That was the first time I said out loud somebody needs to go have a chat with him. My son said Simmonds. And next shift for those watching that is exactly what happened and surprisingly the running around like an idiot stopped.

Some posters believe intimidation in hockey doesn't exist, and dressing toughness is not required.
I would use this as exhibit A that in fact it does.
Click to expand...
In fact he challenged da entire Sens bench in 3rd .. you could see Sens play start to decline as everyone had their head up at all times waiting to get run by Wayner .. it changed da game and got us a win as Sens started throwing puck away .. people that never laced em up seriously will never understand
 
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