Wayne Simmonds clears waivers; what's next for the Wayne Train?

Well, on Tuesday, the Leafs did indeed place Simmonds back on waivers, as his first round of eligibility to be sent down to the Marlies had expired following his last 30-day stint after having cleared. Once again, Simmonds has cleared waivers and can be moved around freely without having to pass through waivers again for another 30-day stretch.

The Leafs have actively been trying to move Simmonds to a contending team since before the beginning of the 2022-23 season. Having cleared waivers does make it slightly easier to move him, but with so many teams so close to the cap, it makes it tougher to accommodate a player when they're making $900K, as opposed to if they're making $750K.

Simmonds has made it very clear that his first preference is to remain in Toronto, but that if the Leafs could find him a landing spot that would give him the opportunity to play in the NHL and compete for a Cup, he'd consider the move. It is worth noting that Simmonds does have a modified NTC in his contract that would allow him to submit a 10-team no-trade list, so he does have an element of control over where he goes.

The Leafs may have been hoping that Simmonds would be claimed this time around so that they could free up a contract spot. The Buds are currently at the maximum 50/50 contract limit and would certainly appreciate the flexibility of having a spot open in the event that they want to ink another player (Matthew Knies, for example, once his NCAA season comes to an end) or perhaps even claim someone off of waivers.