24 Wayne Simmonds RW

Simmonds has played in all five Leafs games this season and has delivered 15 PIM, seven hits, four shots and a minus-4 rating.

Simmonds has no points, but he's doing what he was brought in for and that's light a fire under his teammates. It took him until just the second period of Game 1 to get in a fight, mostly to inject some life into his team. He's no longer much of a fantasy asset in traditional formats, but he does deliver in specialty formats that count hits and PIM.

Simmonds put pen to paper on a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Maple Leafs on Friday, Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reports.

Simmonds split time with New Jersey and Buffalo last season, appearing in a combined 68 games in which he garnered eight goals and 17 helpers. With general manager Kyle Dubas looking to make the team tougher to play against, the addition of Simmonds will certainly add some physicality to the roster considering he's dished out at least 100 hits in all but one of his 12 NHL seasons.

Simmonds has been given permission by the Sabres to negotiate with other teams, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

According to reports, Simmonds has drawn interest from several clubs including the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. The winger recorded 24 points in 61 appearances for the Devils but managed a lone assist in seven games with Buffalo after being traded at the deadline. Wherever the Ontario native lands, he should be capable of pushing for the 30-point mark.

Simmonds, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, is interested in returning to Buffalo, Lance Lyskowski of The Buffalo News reports.

Simmonds was the team's big trade deadline acquisition but only saw seven games with the Sabres before the pandemic cut short the season. Buffalo is one of seven teams not to make the league's 24-team playoff, should play resume before next season. Simmonds will turn 32 in August, but the Sabres need size and toughness up front and the fit seemed to be there, even in such a limited sample size. We'll see if the two sides work something out or if another team offers up a bigger payday than Buffalo. The veteran finished his 12th NHL season with 25 points, a minus-21 rating, 145 hits and 66 PIM in 68 games between Buffalo and New Jersey.

Simmonds will start on Buffalo's second line during Wednesday's game against Colorado.

After being acquired at the trade deadline, Simmonds will immediately slot into the top six. He'll play on a line with Jeff Skinner and Marcus Johansson. The Sabres have lacked secondary scoring all season, and while Simmonds' eight goals and 24 points don't scream top-six forward, a change of scenery could be what he needs to get going. The days of 30-goal seasons are long behind him, but his leadership could help his linemates become more productive.

The Sabres acquired Simmonds from New Jersey for a 2021 conditional fifth-round pick Monday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.

For the second straight season, Simmonds is on the move at the trade deadline. The 31-year-old winger has produced 24 points and 128 hits through 61 games this season, and he'll add a valuable veteran presence in the Sabres' locker room. The Sabres have an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but this is a low-risk move, as the Devils are retaining 50 percent of Simmonds' $5 million contract and cap hit.

Simmonds scored two goals -- one on the power play -- in Thursday's 4-3 win over Detroit.

Simmonds scored the middle two tallies in New Jersey's four-goal outburst over a four-minute span in the third period. The power forward has two goals and two assists over a three-game point streak, but his season output has been limited to seven goals and 23 points in 56 games.

Simmonds recorded a power-play assist Saturday in a 3-0 win over the Kings.

Simmonds snapped a six-game point drought with the primary helper on Blake Coleman's goal. The ex-Flyer only has one multi-point game, but the good news is that Simmonds, a punishing winger, hasn't missed any action in his debut season with the Devils. As a result, he remains a decent option as we rapidly approach the fantasy playoffs.

Simmonds produced an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Lightning.

Simmonds set up Miles Wood's empty-net goal in the third period. The 31-year-old winger has three assists and seven hits in his last four games. Simmonds is up to 17 points, 99 hits, 90 shots and 54 PIM through 45 contests.

Simmonds was ejected Saturday against the Avalanche after yelling at an official following an on-ice review, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Following the review, Simmonds voiced his disapproval with the decision and whatever he said caused the official to send the veteran winger to the showers early. The league likely will review the incident to see if further discipline is required, but it seems highly unlikely that Simmonds will be suspended.

Simmonds managed an assist, four hits and two PIM in Monday's 7-1 blowout win over the Blackhawks.

Simmonds set up Jack Hughes for the Devils' first goal of the contest. Goal-scoring has been a struggle for the 31-year-old winger, who has gone 17 games without lighting the lamp. He's picked up only four assists in that span. Simmonds has only 13 points, 75 shots on goal and 80 hits in 36 outings.

Simmons scored a goal on two shots and delivered three hits in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Ottawa.

Simmons opened the scoring just over four minutes into the game, beating Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson cleanly on a breakaway. It was just the third goal of the season for Simmonds, but he's now found the net in back-to-back games. That's an encouraging sign for the 31-year-old, who has just four goals over his last 34 games since being traded from Philadelphia to Nashville at last year's trade deadline.

Simmonds scored the opening goal, a power-play marker, in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Canucks.

Simmonds' second of the campaign opened the scoring, and it was Jesper Bratt who tacked on another to give New Jersey a 2-0 lead in the first period. Only Brock Boeser scored for the host Canucks. Simmonds, meanwhile, has seven points across 16 games with both his goals coming with the man advantage.

Simmonds bagged three helpers in Wednesday night's 7-6 overtime loss to the Lightning.

Since collecting an assist on Opening Night, Simmonds had been held pointless in eight games, but the forward broke out in a big way Wednesday, albeit in a losing effort. Three assists in an OT loss give the bruising forward four helpers on the year, but Simmonds continues to be shut out of the goal column.

Simmonds dished out an assist in Friday's 5-4 shootout loss to Winnipeg.

Simmonds didn't take long to make an impact with his new club, assisting on the first of Blake Coleman's two goals. The physical winger also skated 2:37 on the power play, just 13 seconds behind the team-high total shared by Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac and P.K. Subban.

Simmonds (lower body) will suit up for Friday's exhibition game against the Rangers.

Simmonds has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the end of the 2018-19 campaign, but he's now back to 100 percent and ready to shake off the rust ahead of the Devils Oct. 4 regular-season opener against Winnipeg. The 31-year-old power forward had a disappointing season last year, notching just 17 goals and 30 points after totaling 24 goals and 46 points in 2017-18, but he could bounce back in 2019-20 on a New Jersey team that shouldn't have trouble putting the puck in the net.

Contrary to a previous report, Simmonds (lower body) won't play in Monday's preseason game versus the Bruins, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.

Simmonds was taking line rushes in practice, so the Devils may simply be exercising caution with their veteran winger. There's no reason to push Simmonds too early, as he'll add a valuable power-play upside and a physical presence in the bottom six when the regular season begins.

Simmonds (lower body) will play in Monday's preseason game versus the Bruins, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Simmonds is expected to play on the top line with rookie Jack Hughes and Nikita Gusev but he's expected to play a bottom-six role when the regular season begins. The veteran winger has seen his points decline in three straight seasons, marking just 30 points between the Flyers and Predators in 2018-19. He should be able to stop the skid by working on special teams with the Devils.

Simmonds (lower body) signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Devils on Monday.

Simmonds has grown familiar with the Metropolitan Division from his extensive time in Philadelphia, and he'll go back to hounding those same opponents while bringing a combination of skill and snarl to New Jersey. The power forward recorded only 30 points between the Flyers and Predators last season, as his point total dropped for the third consecutive campaign. Even if he's a little past his prime, Simmonds is still an expert at screening the goaltender and digging for rebounds, which makes him a useful weapon on the power play.

Simmonds (lower body) won't be retained by the Predators in free agency, Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports.

Vingan had no update on the lower-body injury that cut Simmonds' time with the Predators short after he was acquired as a rental at the trade deadline. The injury shouldn't curtail interest in the veteran power forward, who can still bring a nice mix of skill and net-front presence. Nashville won't be among his suitors in free agency, even though the team has plenty of cap room after shipping out P.K. Subban's $9 million AAV to New Jersey at the draft.