TSN: Darren Dreger said that Philadelphia Flyers haven’t made a decision on what they will do with pending unrestricted free agent forward Wayne Simmonds yet.
Simmonds could help out the power play and grit for teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames.
“Then you throw in the other element, I don’t think Simmonds wants to wait around for too long to determine his direction moving forward. I think we’ll be talking a lot more about Simmonds in the days and weeks ahead.”
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Bob McKenzie was on NBCSN and said that it’s “more likely than not” that Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds is dealt, but it’s not a slam dunk. The Flyers could still look to re-sign him. He carries a $3.9 million salary cap hit with a $5 million salary.
“The expectation is if he goes to market he’s going to get at least five years, maybe more, and perhaps $6 million a year or more. And again, it could be a long term for less AAV, or it could be a shorter term for higher AAV. But in any case, it might be difficult for the Flyers to get in on that type of contract.”
Simmonds will get plenty of interest if he’s made available. Teams are being told that the Flyers haven’t made a decision yet.
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Pierre LeBrun was on TSN 1200 and was talking about Flyers Wayne Simmonds. LeBrun notes that contenders shouldn’t be worried about an extension, just the rest of this season.
“I’ll give you an example. If the Tampa Bay Lightning – and I have no evidence that the Lightning are even interested – but if the Tampa Bay Lightning added a Wayne Simmonds – and I think back to the Eastern Conference Final where they really had no answer for Tom Wilson – I mean, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the best team in the world. They can score with their eyes blindfolded, and they’ve got a terrific defense, and arguably the top goalie in the world. I would say if you’re going to look for one little area to say, ‘Well, I think when the playoffs got tough last year, they could have used a little more muscle’ – Wayne Simmonds on Tampa is a scary proposition.”
