Ottawa Senators should consider Wayne Simmonds in Free agency
NHL Free Agency opens on July 1st and the Ottawa Senators should seriously consider approaching veteran winger Wayne Simmonds.
With the Ottawa Senators entering a crucial rebuild, the team will need to add some veterans in free agency to plug gaps in their line-up as well as help them reach the cap floor.
One free agent that could be worth considering is Wayne Simmonds, who most recently suited up for the Nashville Predators.
Simmonds has been a popular figure in the NHL for many years, with the majority of that time coming with the Philadelphia Flyers.
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It appears now, however, that the Scarborough, Ontario native will test free agency and could find himself in a new jersey in the early days of July.
While the 30-year-old had a down season by his standards in 2018/19, he still has a lot to offer an NHL team such as the Ottawa Senators, who will need a number of veterans to help flesh out their roster in 2019/20.
While averaging just 15:40 on the ice this past season, Simmonds still registered 17 goals – 16 of them coming before he was traded to Nashville.
He is coming off a contract that held an AAV of just $3.975 million and, is unlikely to earn much more than that after turning 31 in August.
Simmonds’ physical style of play could benefit the Senators, who will see a number of young, fresh faces enter the league this season.
Having a veteran player that goes about his business the right way and can add something to the Sens’ roster would be a sensible signing.
Simmonds would also provide the organisation with some real veteran leadership qualities that can help guide the young guys making the step up – with the 11-year winger winning the Mark Messier Award for Leadership at the 2019 NHL Awards.
The 6-foot-2, 185lbs right-handed shot would also give the Senators a valuable piece on the powerplay – with Simmonds often seeing plenty of minutes with the man advantage, scoring 94 of his 243 career goals on the powerplay.
With veterans more than likely to be arriving in the Canadian capital this summer, the Ottawa Senators should certainly give Simmonds some deeper consideration.
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What do you think Sens fans? Would you be pleased to see Simmonds suit up for the team? Which other realistic free agents could you see the team signing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!