Wayne Simmonds finds out his fate and clarifies Toronto’s trade plans

The Toronto Maple Leafs placed forward Wayne Simmonds on waivers Tuesday, and the veteran forward impatiently awaited his fate until the 2pmET deadline on Wednesday.

Simmonds finally cleared and will be waiver-exempt through the March 3 trade deadline. As insider Chris Johnston explained, “the Maple Leafs will be able to move him back and forth between the NHL and AHL while optimizing their salary cap for any potential deadline acquisitions.” He’s exempt for 29 days on the NHL roster.

Simmonds had already cleared twice this season. The veteran player has only suited up 13 times for the Maple Leafs so far.

Toronto is getting ready for the trade deadline. If the Maple Leafs add a forward, which is more than likely at this point, cap will need to be opened up.

After the trade deadline, there is no longer a 23-man roster limit. In Toronto’s case, Simmonds will likely be called up whenever someone is injured. We can imagine he will be with the team for the playoffs, staying ready to go in if necessary and bringing on board his leadership and experience.

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