Maple Leafs, Simmonds Agree to Two-Year Contract Extension

Wayne Simmonds is returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The veteran forward signed a two-year contract worth an average annual value of $900,000.

Wayne Simmonds is staying with his hometown team.

The veteran forward agreed to a two-year contract worth $1.8 million on Tuesday. The $900,000 average annual value represents a 40 percent pay cut from the $1.5 million salary he earned for the 2020-21 season.

The 32-year old played in 38 regular-season games and had an up-and-down year., He scored seven goals and two assists. 

A bulk of Simmonds’ production came in the first month of the season. He appeared to find his fit on the team’s power play and was a regular winger on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander before a wrist injury against the Vancouver Canucks appeared to derail his offensive touch.

When he returned six weeks later, he mustered just two goals and two assists. He later admitted that it took some time for his wrist to feel normal and that it contributed to his difficulties in getting on the scoresheet.

Simmonds recorded just one assist in seven games during the team’s first-round series exist against the Montreal Canadiens in May.

A native of Scarborough, Simmonds joined the Leafs last season splitting the previous season with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils.