Wayne Simmonds has message for Maple Leafs

He's an NHL veteran who reached the 1,000 career games played mark and he knows the business side of things. But of course, that doesn't make it any easier.

Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Wayne Simmonds is entering the final year of the two year, $1.8 million deal he signed last offseason, though he would only manage 16 points during the regular season and also suited up in only two of Toronto's seven postseason games.

The 34 year old Simmonds has already seen his now-former teammate in Jason Spezza decide to call it a career, while P.K. Subban also decided to hang up the skates. And for him, he needs to keep his focus looking straight ahead. 

“I guess it’s a little bit weird,” Simmonds said of some of his peers retiring. “But as an athlete you’ve gotta keep your blinders on. Like, if you’re a horse running a race you’re not looking to the left, you’re not looking to the right. (Otherwise) you miss a step and that’s kinda when you get upended yourself.

“Obviously you hear the news of guys retiring, but I’m still here. I hope to be here for another few years.”

He'll be competing for a spot on Toronto's 4th line against younger and faster talent, and he made that part of his offseason training program considering he'll be going up against the likes of Adam Gaudette, Kyle Clifford, Alex Steeves, Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, Logan Shaw, Denis Malgin, Joey Anderson, Bobby McMann, and Zach Aston-Reese.

“I felt I was a little slow off the hop last year,” Simmonds explained, “so I think that was one of my main focuses going into this summer is (to) try to get quicker in my first two strides and go from there.”

In 1,019 career NHL games, Simmonds has scored 263 goals with 261 assists; he enjoyed his best statistical output while a member of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015-16, scoring 30 goals with 28 assists.