NHL Buzz: Simmonds assigned to minors by Maple Leafs

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Toronto Maple Leafs

Forwards Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Clifford and Adam Gaudette, and defenseman Victor Mete cleared waivers and were assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League on Monday.
"Reality of where we are at with the [NHL salary] cap and our roster," coach Shledon Keefe said. "Frankly ever since we made the decision to sign Calle Jarnkrok, we were in a position where we knew we were going to be carrying a tight roster, a very short roster. We believe that Jarnkrok, that addition makes us a better and deeper team and as a result you are going to have to make some decisions like this. These guys (being sent down) we really believe in. Clifford and Simmonds in particular are guys that mean a lot to our team and to our room. ... The 12 forwards we have remaining I believe we are a deeper and improved forward group than we were a year ago so there are some guys who are going to slide down that depth chart."
Simmonds has 524 points (263 goals, 261 assists) in 1,019 regular-season games and 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 53 playoff games with the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Maple Leafs. He signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract on July 29, 2021.
Clifford has 143 points (66 goals, 77 assists) in 751 regular-season games with the Kings, St. Louis Blues and Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 64 playoff games and won the Stanley Cup with Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014.
Gaudette signed a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs on July 13 and Mete signed a one-year contract the next day.
Nick Robertson was also assigned to the Marlies. The 21-year-old forward had one goal in 10 NHL games last season.
"I think the best we can do is just talk to him and be up front and honest," Keefe said. "It's an unfortunate situation for a player who has worked really hard and is as competitive as he is and he did all the things we asked him to do. A player like him at his age is never a finished product so I think there is always some benefit to playing in the AHL." -- Dave McCarthy

New York Rangers

Sammy Blais did not practice Monday and the forward is doubtful for the Rangers season opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN1, TVAS, SN NOW).
Blais sustained an upper-body injury early in New York's final preseason game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
The 26-year-old hasn't played since Nov. 14, when he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee that required season-ending surgery. He had four assists in 14 games with the Rangers last season.
Blais started training camp as the right wing on the Rangers top line with center Mika Zibanejad and left wing Chris Kreider, but he likely would have started the season as the left wing on the fourth line with center Ryan Carpenter and right wing Ryan Reaves.
Dryden Hunt or Jimmy Vesey could be the left wing on the fourth line against the Lightning. Vesey agreed to a one-year contract Sunday. He was in training camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO). -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Buffalo Sabres

Kyle Okposo returned to practice Monday in the hopes of being ready for the season opener against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The forward, who was named captain of the Sabres on Saturday, sustained an upper-body injury late in the second period in a preseason game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 4.
"We'll see," he said. "Definitely working hard to try and get back for that. But no definitive answer on that for you."
Okposo wore a no-contact jersey and participated in most of the drills, even taking "a bump or two that I wasn't supposed to." It was his first time skating since being injured.
"He was fully engaged," coach Don Granato said. "So, very encouraging. Obviously, knowing him, no secret he's going to want to play Thursday and I'm probably going to be cautious of that based on the fact that he's still where he's at now with the yellow jersey on. But we'll cross that bridge when we have to. He did, by the way, want to skate last week and we had to tell him no. We'll still take it day by day and that little ongoing battle. He's a competitive guy." -- Heather Engel

Washington Capitals

Forward T.J. Oshie (upper body) and defenseman Dmitry Orlov (lower body) are optimistic about being ready to play in the Capitals regular-season opener against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; TNT, SN NOW) after practicing Sunday. Each did not play in Washington's preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday after being injured against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
"That night, it was a little scary," said Oshie, who was injured when he was checked into the boards by Red Wings forward Joe Veleno. "We didn't know how it was going to feel in the morning and woke up in the morning and it felt a lot better than we expected. I still got to go through all the steps with (athletic trainer Jason Serbus), so I'm not going insert myself anywhere, but I felt really good today."
Orlov said he tweaked something against the Red Wings and felt stiff the next day, so the Capitals held him out of practice for two days.
"Right now, I feel good," Orlov said. "It feels normal almost and I've got a couple more days to feel more ready and get prepared for the first big game of the season." -- Tom Gulitti

Philadelphia Flyers

Sean Couturier will not play in the season opener against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW).
The center has been considered week to week because of an upper-body injury sustained before training camp started.
"I haven't talked to the trainers, I'm not exactly sure where they're at with that," coach John Tortorella said Sunday. "It's certainly not going to be opening night. What it comes down to in days or weeks, I'm not sure."
Couturier skated on his own for about 40 minutes. He's been skating since the end of last week, but said Sunday was the first time he was allowed to shoot pucks and stick-handle.
"Just getting better and better every day," he said. "Back on the ice so that's a step in the right direction. ... We're going gradually, every day doing a little more and see how it responds every day and how it goes.
"Really day to day. They're kind of evaluating me every day, see how I go, see how I progress. The goal is really to be 100 percent when I come back and not have to deal with anything all year."
Couturier didn't play last season after Dec. 18, and had season-ending back surgery Feb. 11. He said he had been fully cleared for training camp the first week of September. -- Adam Kimelman

Vancouver Canucks

Brock Boeser practiced Sunday for the first time since surgery on his hand Sept. 26 and the forward could return for the season opener Wednesday at the Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. ET; SN, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Boeser was originally expected to miss 3-4 weeks and 3-7 games but resumed skating and stickhandling within a week of surgery and was shooting during practice Sunday while wearing a no-contact jersey.
"He was happy to be out there. His legs are fine," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We just got to get the rest of his body ready and hopefully he will get permission to play on Wednesday."
Boeser, who opened training camp on right wing of a top line with center J.T. Miller and Tanner Pearson, had 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) in 71 games last season. The 25-year-old skated primarily on a fourth line with left wing Dakota Joshua and center Nils Aman on Sunday.
Forward Conor Garland, who left in the second period of a 4-0 preseason win against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday with an undisclosed injury, did not practice Sunday. Neither did top defenseman Quinn Hughes, who did not play against the Coyotes, but Boudreau said both were having maintenance days.
"They'll both be on the ice [Monday]," Boudreau said. -- Kevin Woodley

Pittsburgh Penguins

Teddy Blueger was the only player missing from a night practice on Monday. The forward practiced in a no-contact jersey Sunday after sustaining an upper-body injury in practice on Sept. 28.
Blueger is still day to day, coach Mike Sullivan said.
On Friday, Sullivan said the Penguins wanted Blueger to take full contact in at least one practice before opening their regular season against the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday. Ryan Poehling would likely take over at fourth-line center if Blueger can't play.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph made the Penguins' initial 23-man roster on Monday. The 23-year-old defenseman, one of Pittsburgh's top prospects, has five points (one goal, four assists) in 20 NHL games, including zero in four games last season. Joseph competed with
Ty Smith
for the final spot on the Penguins' defense.
"These decisions are very difficult, as I've mentioned over the last few days," Sullivan said. "These aren't easy decisions by any stretch. We feel as though we have nine defensemen that are legitimate, bona fide NHL defensemen. But we can't keep nine." -- Wes Crosby