Wayne Simmonds, who was initially sent down along with other veterans, skated with Toronto Maple Leafs conditioning staff along with other injured players on Thursday.
The Toronto Marlies announced their official roster ahead of their season-opening game against the Rochester American on Friday and there was a noticeable absence.
Veteran forward Wayne Simmonds was placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. He subsequently cleared and was sent down to the Marlies.
Before Simmonds cleared, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the veteran forward was made available for trade in an email sent out to the other 31 NHL teams.
On Thursday morning, Simmonds was skating with Toronto Maple Leafs conditioning staff along with injured defensemen Jordie Benn (groin) and Timothy Liljegren (hernia) and forward Fraser Minten (wrist).
The move was unusual as Simmonds is not on Toronto's roster in any capacity.
On Thursday's edition of TSN's Insider Trading, Chris Johnston reported that Simmonds prefers to resume his NHL career with a Stanley Cup contender and would like to remain in Toronto.
The veteran of over 1000 NHL games does have a modified no-trade clause where he can block a move to 10 NHL teams.
In the meantime, it looks like Simmonds and the Maple Leafs are working together to find a solution. And right now that isn't playing with the Toronto Marlies.
The Maple Leafs currently only have $4 in LTIR cap space, per Puckpedia.com and can only carry a minimum of 20 players on their active roster. An injury might open the door for the 34-year-old to rejoin the lineup, but it would have to be of the long-term variety.
Should a short-term injury occur, the Leafs would have to play a game short of 20 players before being able to call up a player on an emergency basis as a replacement. The average annual value of the player's contract cannot exceed $850,000.
Simmonds' AAV is $900k.