Salary cap preventing Canucks from trading for Wayne Simmonds: report

Feb 21 2020, 12:09 am

No player has been linked to the Vancouver Canucks ahead of Monday’s trade deadline more than New Jersey Devils left winger Wayne Simmonds.

NHL insiders Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman, of TSN and Sportsnet respectively, have mentioned Simmonds to Vancouver as a realistic possibility in recent days.

Simmonds has a limited no-trade clause but would not block a move to Vancouver, according to LeBrun.

TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal has linked Simmonds to Vancouver also, mentioning the names of the Canucks’ young defence prospects as potential trade bait.

But it appears the Canucks might not have room for Simmonds’ contract. LeBrun is now reporting that the Canucks haven’t been able to complete a deal because they can’t fit him under the salary cap.

The Canucks, of course, are getting cap relief in the form of long-term injury reserve for Brock Boeser, Micheal Ferland, and Josh Leivo. They have spent some of that money already by adding Tyler Toffoli and his accompanying $4.6 million cap hit.

Simmonds was once a reliable 30-goal scorer, who added toughness and could play the net-front on the power play. But the 31-year-old power forward has been a shadow of his former self this season, scoring just 23 points (7-16-23) in 59 games. Simmonds also struggled at the end of last season, notching just one goal and two assists in 17 games after a trade to the Nashville Predators.

In the last year of a one-year contract paying him $5 million, Simmonds would likely be a pure rental player for the Canucks as they attempt to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

NHL Standard career statistics
Scor Scor Scor Ice
Season Age Tm Lg GP G A PTS +/- PIM ATOI
2008-09 20 LAK NHL 82 9 14 23 -8 73 13:50
2009-10 21 LAK NHL 78 16 24 40 22 116 14:29
2010-11 22 LAK NHL 80 14 16 30 -2 75 13:27
2011-12 23 PHI NHL 82 28 21 49 -1 114 15:55
2012-13 24 PHI NHL 45 15 17 32 -7 82 15:38
2013-14 25 PHI NHL 82 29 31 60 -4 106 16:46
2014-15 26 PHI NHL 75 28 22 50 -5 66 16:48
2015-16 27 PHI NHL 81 32 28 60 -7 147 17:14
2016-17 28 PHI NHL 82 31 23 54 -18 122 18:58
2017-18 29 PHI NHL 75 24 22 46 -16 57 18:05
2018-19 30 TOT NHL 79 17 13 30 -16 99 15:40
2018-19 30 PHI NHL 62 16 11 27 -20 90 16:33
2018-19 30 NSH NHL 17 1 2 3 4 9 12:27
2019-20 31 NJD NHL 59 7 16 23 -16 62 15:15
Career 12 yrs NHL 900 250 247 497 -78 1119 16:02
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