Wayne Simmonds brings 'hatred' and 'love' to raucous Maple Leafs return

WINNIPEG — A disheartening thought crossed Wayne Simmonds’ mind during these protracted weeks of uncertainty: I may never pull on a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater again.

The “ultimate warrior” (as Auston Matthews calls him) battled his rear end off in training camp, scrapping and open-ice hitting in a hey-look-at-me preseason. But Simmonds knew the writing was on the wall.

At 34, he wasn’t making the cut.

Simmonds cleared waivers, and the Leafs brass circulated an email around the league offering the proud scrapper from Scarborough up for trade.

As he teetered in the unknown — the unwanted? — Simmonds kept punching the clock, skating solo and training regularly in Toronto’s practice facility. Trying to stay in game shape. Trying to keep his head high as the club opted for bottom-six bodies advertised as faster and fresher.

He leaned on the laughter of his teammates and a strong system of support from his family and friends during a stressful October. Yet still, it was only natural to wonder if he was losing his fight to stay a Leaf.

“You know, it always runs through your mind. But I think for me, I know I still have some juice left in the tank, and I know I can still play. Toronto is where I want to be,” said Simmonds, following Saturday’s long-await season debut, a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

“The last two, three weeks have been a long, long haul for me. But I think it's just staying patient, willing to do whatever it takes to help the guys out. And I’m here for the boys, and I'll always be here for these guys. I love these guys.

“From Day One, I was accepted immediately. And when that happens and you have such great group camaraderie, for me, late in my career, it's something that you cherish — and you don't take for granted. And because of that, I would do anything for these guys.”

As raw and heartfelt as Simmonds’ words ring, the power forward’s actions spoke louder.

Rolling into a rivalry rejuvenated alongside fellow called-up bash brother Kyle Clifford, the old guys made a stronger fourth-line impact in one game than their replacements had made in the previous five.

Centred by David Kämpf, whom Simmonds’ affectionately dubs “Mr. Reliable,” the Leafs’ bottom unit posted the best 5-on-5 possession metrics of all Toronto’s lines, outshooting the competition 5-1 and linking up for Kämpf’s winning goal, thanks to this blind, between-the-wickets setup by Simmonds:

Captain John Tavares, who sniped a pair himself, says he can’t even imagine what it must be like mentally for Simmonds and Clifford, long-serving regulars, to be clawing for any ice time they can get.

“I know it can't be easy, especially the type of people they are, the character,” Tavares says. “Knowing the work and commitment that they put into this team and how much they care, working in the offseason and coming into camp in great shape and having solid camps.

“It's the nature of the game, obviously, and it can be difficult at times, especially with the business side of it. But they've stuck with it.”

Keefe says, selfishly, his fingers were crossed that both Simmonds and Clifford would slip through waivers because they give the Maple Leafs the ability to change the look of their lineup.

Read: Added toughness.

It’s an ingredient treasured in these nasty Manitoba tilts.

“How those guys came in and played tonight is a real testament to who they are. I mean, they come in, they just work,” Morgan Rielly said.

“I don't even know if they knew if they were going to be in the lineup or not until this morning. So to come in and play the way they did and to be talking in between periods and bringing that energy to the bench, it speaks volumes about those two individuals.”

Saturday was a Wayne Simmonds kinda night.

Mitch Marner had his face uglied when Dylan DeMelo mashed him into the corner. Morgan Rielly instigated a fight with Josh Morrissey after the latter laid a hard hit on young Nick Robertson. And Pierre-Luc Dubois went after Rasmus Sandin for another aggressive check near the boards.

“The boys stood up for one another,” said Simmonds, savouring the chaos, soaking in his comeback.

“There is, dare I say, hatred between the two teams, and they’re just really fun games to play. And that's kind of the way you want it.”

Fox’s Fast 5

• Keep an eye on Auston Matthews’ back, which appears to still be aching from Jamie Benn’s cross-check on Thursday.

The Leafs star was getting some attention from trainer Paul Ayotte in-game on the bench. He only hit the net on four of his 13 shot attempts and fumbled a couple more prime chances off his stick. Very uncharacteristic.

“When he comes back to the bench, he doesn’t say anything about it,” Keefe says. “He’s just playing hockey.”

Matthews needed a maintenance day Friday, and the team will continue to monitor.

• Nick Robertson says his phone erupted with messages following Thursday night’s star turn.

“One of the highlights if not the best moment of my career,” the winger says.

“I'm pretty sore still from the game. And I know this is kinda the first experience I'm going to have going on a road trip and playing a lot. These are big games for us, and I want to be consistent and impactful.”

• A wake-up call for healthy scratch Pierre Engvall. Through five games, he’s averaging just 11:44, has yet to register a point and is a minus-2. He was late to camp dealing with a foot/ankle injury.

“I want him to clear his head,” Keefe says. “I know he has more ability to impact our lineup positively. He had a good [15-goal, 35-point] season last year, and we're looking for him to build on that.

“It hasn't gone the way he or I would've liked to start the season. He's an important guy, and we need to get him going."

• Ilya Samsonov shut the door once again, improving to 4-0-0 with a sparkling .938 save percentage as a Maple Leaf.

What did he appreciate most about Saturday’s win?

“Win,” he smiles. “Easy choice.”

• My first opportunity to get a glimpse of the new Dale Hawerchuk statue outside Canada Life Centre. Just a beautiful tribute and a well-placed photo op next to what is otherwise one of the more nondescript rinks in the league. Nicely done.