Wayne Simmonds is heading home to the Toronto Maple Leafs on a one-year, $1.500 million contract– as reported by Sportsnet 590’s Anthony Stewart– that he signed on Friday as the free agent market opened in the National Hockey League.
The deal carries a no-trade clause.
The 32-year-old native of Scarborough, Ontario was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (61st overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and spent last season split between the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.
In 909 career NHL games, Simmonds has 251-248–499 totals, including eight goals and 17 assists (25 points) in 68 games last season for the Devils and Sabres.
He’s reached the 60-point plateau twice in his career in 2013-14 and 2015-16 with the Philadelphia Flyers and has since become more of an energy player fit for a third line role.
Simmonds looks to bolster Toronto’s forward depth on a cheap deal as the Maple Leafs face a tight salary cap– both because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and due to their own past dealings with re-signing key members of their core and since bringing John Tavares to the fold.
He made his NHL debut with Los Angeles in the 2008-09 season and previously spent time with the Kings, Flyers, Nashville Predators, Devils and Sabres.
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