Simmonds will try to heal from memories of season
VOORHEES, N.J. » Wayne Simmonds was about to go into an important meeting with management Wednesday, and he only had 10 minutes or so to explain what he was about to tell his Flyers bosses.
“From the beginning of training camp I think I had a torn pelvis,” Simmonds said. “I thought I would be able to play through it, and do a decently good job. I didn’t play up to my expectations. It was a very frustrating year and things didn’t go the way I wanted.
“But if I can play I’m going to play. I think I could’ve probably taken some time to (heal), but I would’ve been out for probably a month and a half.”
So while still dealing with the pelvis pain as the regular season began, Simmonds overcompensated for his injury and pulled a groin on Oct. 17. He didn’t miss time. Two nights later, while the Flyers were playing Nashville, he was minding his own business on the bench and was accidentally slammed in the face by Mattias Ekholm’s stick. That took two root canals and eventually six lost teeth, but that was partially because his upper jaw had been shoved back when a Scott Hartnell shot hit him full force there years before.
Anyway, still missing no time but hurting from grin to groin, Simmonds took a Shayne Gostisbehere shot off his ankle. No big deal. “It kind of just broke,” he said. “Obviously it wasn’t weight bearing on the bone so you’re still able to play with that.” Oh. So he played on. And to his own admission, not well.
“Your body’s over-compensating and other stuff starts breaking down,” Simmonds said. “So that wasn’t good.”
Neither was the fight with the Rangers’ Tony DeAngelo, who fell to the ice, and took Simmonds’ stuck hand in his jersey with him. Simmonds’ thumb was stretched out of place. Torn ligaments ... finally, he couldn’t play.
He missed seven games, or as long as it would take for him to be able to hold his stick again.
“I don’t know if it’s the right thing, but I can’t not play,” Simmonds said. “It’s just geared in my head to where if I’m not dead or not deathly sick I’m going to try and get out there and do whatever I can.”
Along the way, Simmonds scored 24 goals and 46 points in 75 games, a down year for the Flyers’ lone 2017 All-Star game representative. This down year led to this meeting Wednesday, with him about to talk with his bosses about next season, his last under his current contract.
Sometimes a veteran in that situation is targeted for trade. Or to be re-signed. Maybe Simmonds should have carried a list of all his injuries into the meeting. didn’t ... he was just going it out.
“It was extremely frustrating,” he said. “You wanted to be able to do something and being able to do it usually, and then your brain’s telling your body to do it, but your body’s not doing it.”
But as for his body going that uncertain next season?
“Oh yeah, (it’ll be) 100 percent,” Simmonds said. “No doubt.” But he to play into