Maple Leafs and Wayne Simmonds have a mutual interest
Maple Leafs Hot Stove: Darren Dreger on TSN 590 on the mutual interest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Wayne Simmonds.
“I think there is mutual interest. I think the Maple Leafs, as Pierre LeBrun has reported, are definitely interested. But at what cost? Are we talking about a million or less? I don’t think the Leafs can afford to invest more than $1 million into Wayne Simmonds. That aspect of it has to come to the forefront and it will as of Friday.
It’s all financially connected. Could Wayne Simmonds be a fit from a physical perspective when you take into account what Dubas said yesterday about wanting to be a team to be tougher to play against? It’s not dropping the fists — that’s not the toughness you’re talking about. It is a kind of game that the Lightning just won the Cup with — guys competing every single shift who are going to grind and win puck battles and force turnovers. That is the type of toughness the Leafs and Dubas are looking for more of. Is Wayne Simmonds capable of doing that? I am not so sure.”
On Kerfoot and Johnsson trade speculation, or lack of it
Maple Leafs Hot Stove: Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 on trade speculation on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Alexander Kerfoot and Andreas Johnsson.
“I have not heard a lot about Kerfoot and Johnsson of late. Every team has those players. With due respect to those players, GMs are probably looking at the landscape of the league and going, “Let’s get to Wednesday and see how many RFAs don’t get qualified. And then let’s get to the 10th and 11th of October after free agency when some of these players who didn’t get signed start to feel the heat.” I think a lot of clubs are doing that.”