We're at the point where Wayne Simmonds should be the 13th or 14th forward
Scarborough's own Wayne SImmonds brings so much to the table that the Leafs need. Hes big, physical, tough, and stands up for his teammates when its called for. He's a vocal leader in the dressing room and on the bench. Simmer is also a fantastic community leader, supporting initiatives in his community with charity work and acting as a voice and leader of the Hockey Diversity Alliance. Wayne Simmonds is a good person and a great teammate, but is he an NHL level hockey player anymore?
Simmonds has been a staple on the Leafs' fourth line all season with the exception of a few games where Kyle Clifford stepped into his slot. The 1000-game vet is going through a horrific scoring slump at the moment. Zero goals in his last 30 games and no primary assists in 18 games. Perhaps worse yet, Simmer hasn't dropped the gloves in 16 games. If he's not scoring and he's not doing anything to wake the boys up or protect his teammates, should he be in the lineup over the likes of Robertson, Abruzzese or the possibly of an incoming Matthew Knies?
I hate writing this article, I hate seeing a guy who I was so happy to see sign with the Leafs struggle like this. I hate that I haven't been able to type "WAYNE TRAIN" in all caps on Twitter in months. I love Wayne Simmonds, but objectively, there are players in the Leafs system more deserving of that roster slot at the moment.
Its impossible to replace the intangibles Simmonds brings to the ice, but the core aren't kids anymore. They shouldn't need a babysitter or a protector at this point. Team toughness is what is needed. A pack mentality where everybody, and I mean everybody (Looking at you, WIlliam) has each other's backs on the ice. That's how teams have to operate in today's NHL.
Gone are the days of one or two designated enforcers being able to patrol and protect. What use is having a tough guy to protect your stars if they aren't on the ice together? Simmonds simply can't be a modern day Dave Semenko at this point in his career.
I want to re-iterate that this isn't an article about Simmonds being bad. I'm not hating him, or anything of the sort. I'm simply watching the games and not seeing Simmonds bringing enough to the table to warrant a regular roster spot. Do the Leafs have other problems? Yes of course, but as we saw in Saturday night's tilt against the Canadiens, depth scoring is something the Leafs desperately need more of, and unfortunately Simmer isn't providing that anymore. It's time for Simmonds to take a seat.
| POLL | ||
MARS 27 | 393 ANSWERS We're at the point where Wayne Simmonds should be the 13th or 14th forward Should Simmonds be in the lineup? | ||
| No, put Clifford in | 67 | 17 % |
| No, put Robertson in | 124 | 31.6 % |
| No, put Abruzzese in | 121 | 30.8 % |
| Wayne Train rules. Leave him alone. | 81 | 20.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
