Not a very happy return
Ex-Flyer Simmonds remains bitter about how he and team parted ways
When he first came down the hallway to the Devils locker room at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night, Wayne Simmonds was all smiles.
He politely answered media questions about facing his old team, the Flyers, for the first time and what kind of reception he expected from the fans.
But beneath it all, one of the most popular players in Flyers’ history was frowning.
Why? Because, in reality, he could have remained a Flyer for years to come if he had received a decent offer for a new contract prior to last February’s trade deadline. Adding to the ill feelings: The Flyers could have made him an offer when he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. But they chose not to do so. Instead, Simmonds signed a one-year, $5-million deal with one of the Flyers’ most hated rivals. Speaking bluntly, Simmonds indicated time has yet to heal the wounds with Flyers management. That goes all the way back to the Ron Hextall regime and continues through that of current general manager Chuck Fletcher.
“I don’t know how to say it — if they didn’t want me or whatever it was,” Simmonds said. “To be honest with you, I think I was a little bit bitter. I put so much time, sweat and tears into this organization. I thought I did everything I possibly could to deserve at least a little bit of an extension, [but] it is a business.”
What bothered Simmonds the most was the way he perceived the lack of an offer to be a slight on his talent and what he meant to the Flyers.
“It also sucks to hear that you’re obviously not thought of as what you think you’re thought of,” he said. “So it definitely put a little bitterness into it for me.”
Simmonds said the two sides never got close before the deadline.
“I think we were probably too far gone at that point, to be honest with you,” he said. “Most of the dealings we had were with ‘Hexy.’ They didn’t go too well. When Chuck came along, I think it was a little too far along at that point.”
Things never warmed up in the summer either.
“I clearly wasn’t the piece of the puzzle they wanted to be her,” Simmonds said. “So why would I want to come back? It has nothing to do with the fan base or anything like that. It’s just the way things are.”
Simmonds suffered perhaps the worst year of his career last season, mostly because he was still recovering from abdominal surgery in the 2018 offseason. That probably played a part in his decision to settle for the Devils’ one-year offer.
“I have complete faith in myself,” he said. “Whether I had to take a one-year deal or whatever because I know I’m going to come back and be a great player this year. I just had to find a team willing to take a chance on me.”
On a lighter note, Simmonds and his wife, Crystal, welcomed a new daughter, Kori, this summer, so that’s been a bit of a life-changing event. Braun, Provorov pairing effective: Last season, the Flyers were leaning on players such as Radko Gudas and Andrew MacDonald to provide a veteran presence for some of their younger defensemen.
When Fletcher evaluated his club in the offseason, he knew he needed an upgrade in that department.
So he bought out the last year of MacDonald’s contract and sent Gudas to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Matt Niskanen.
Then Fletcher sent a 2019 secondround draft pick and 2020 third-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks to acquire Justin Braun.
Niskanen won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals and Braun has been to the Cup finals with the Sharks.
So far, Braun has been paired with fourth-year defenseman Ivan Provorov and it looks like a comfortable tandem.
At Wednesday morning’s skate at the Wells Fargo Center, Braun said he enjoys the role of bringing some valuable experience to players still learning the game.
“Anything I can pass along to them that I’ve learned over the years,” he said.
“These kids are young that we’re playing with…we remind them how fortunate they are to be playing at that age. It’s the kind of pressure that’s put on them and how much time they get. It’s pretty amazing now how they handle it.”
And it’s not just a one-way street. “I can learn from them too,” Braun said. For more from Wayne Fish, see FlyingFishHockey.com.