BLOG: Devils Players on Simmonds' Departure

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils made a move right before practice today, moving Wayne Simmonds to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a conditional fifth round pick. Following practice, several players talked about the trade having just found out themselves.
"A real vocal guy for us. We'll miss him for sure. He's a pretty good veteran and we're a young team here. He's one of the guys that has a lot of experience," said Jack Hughes. "I wish him all the best in Buffalo."
Hughes added that the leadership he experienced in his rookie season thanks to Simmonds was hugely beneficial.
"A word that comes up with him a lot is leadership. A likeable guy in the locker room. His game's really picked up in the last month or so. It's good to see his game start to come back. He's been playing really well as of late."
Nico Hischier sat beside him in the locker room and will feel a void without his teammate.
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"I was able to talk to him a lot. He's a great leader here in the locker room. He's going to compete. He works so hard. In front of the net all the time. Doesn't matter what circumstance it is, he's going to compete."
P.K. Subban will miss one of his closest friends on the team.
"I've known him for a long time. He's a good guy and great teammate. He was very important in this locker room as part of the leadership group," Subban stated. "He did everything that was asked of him. He's going to do everything he can to help the Buffalo Sabres make the playoffs."
Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine said leadership was a word repeated often when it came to Wayne Simmonds.
"His leadership, on and off the ice (meant a lot). He had a huge influence. It hasn't been an easy year. A guy like Simmer really helped everyone keep this whole thing together. I couldn't thank him enough," Nasreddine said. "He's an emotional guy. It didn't matter if he's a rookie or a vet. He's an honest guy and it was all about being accountable to one another and he did that really well."