The veteran winger has played sparingly this season, but injected a dose of energy and toughness to the fourth line in a recent win over the Capitals.
But it’s the Leafs, heading into a game against Boston on Wednesday where all eyes will be on their performance against the league leaders, who admit they’re lucky to have Simmonds.
“I really like what he brought in that game,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Sunday’s 5-1 win over Washington, where Simmonds brought a dose of energy and physicality to the fourth line. “He and his line did a good job for us, and I though he brought something similar when we played in Boston … so, for that reason, you want to keep him involved and know that he’s an important guy despite the fact he hasn’t played a lot. What he brings is unique and it’s nice to have.”
Simmonds will now reach his sixth game in January, his busiest month in what otherwise has been a slow season for the classy veteran from Scarborough. His six-game January follows a spell where the winger played just two games in each of the last two months. Wednesday’s game against the visiting Bruins would be his 13th start of the season.
Keefe and the rest of the Leafs certainly appreciate and respect Simmonds’ relentless willingness to stand up for his teammates and drop the gloves without hesitation. That tenacity has kept him a part of a Leafs group that is third overall in the NHL, but notably shy of a Simmonds-type player., and one thing I didn’t like in that game is when things weren’t going well, I thought we were real quiet, both in our performance and on the bench,” Keefe said.
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