It's been a very tough week for Wayne Simmonds. First the now infamous banana incident, and then he finds himself on the other end of a bad situation with Avery/homophobe incident. You couldn't blame Simmonds for simply wanting to move on from the banana incident, though it's a little harder to ask everyone to simply forget a similar incident in which you are the perpetrator.
There is no excusing Simmonds alleged (likely) use of homophobic slurs. It's not right and no provocation justifies it. The whole thing is just unfortunate for a lot of reasons.
Truthfully the situation fits Avery's modus operandi perfectly. Agitate, physically and verbally, then when a response finally comes, cry to the referees instead of finishing what you started. This pattern was on full display in the game a few days, as microphones clearly caught Avery repeatedly yelling "he was going ****ing kill Giroux," and cheapshotting Simmonds with a punch in the face at the bottom of the pile when Simmonds is defenseless. Later Simmonds challenges Avery to a toe-to-toe fight, and Avery turtles drawing a penalty. As I said, his typical bag of tricks.
Where things change here is that, where Avery usually agitates then cries to the referees for a penalty, here he agitates then rats out a player to the media. This is against all acknowledged NHL players codes, that what happens on the ice stays on the ice.
Avery is no angel. He has previously been accused of using racial slurs against black players, was suspended by the league for commenting to the media that other players were having his sloppy seconds by dating his ex-girlfriend, and has at various other times been accused of crossing the line with his trash talk, delving into player's personal lives and wives. Additionally, it has been reported that unnamed officials say they hear language like Simmonds is accused of 10 times a game. Clearly, all of this generally vile behavior underlines that trash talk that is not fit for public consumption is an everyday part of life in the NHL.
Again, this doesn't excuse Simmonds behavior, but the prevailing culture cannot be ignored. It is not practical or even fair to come crashing down on Simmonds at this time. This is an uncomfortable subject that will come up again around the league, but for now the NHL is content to let it blow over and merely put everyone on notice.
General Preseason Notes
-The consensus is that Matt Read has won himself a spot of the roster, quite likely in the top 9 forwards. He's shown a ton of jump, and is playing smart in all situations. This would be great news for the Flyers if he can stick as a reliable, productive player.
-Schenn has underwhelmed a bit this preseason, and is now hurt. The widespread expectation was that he would make the team, but the way things are going I wouldn't be shocked if he starts the season down in the AHL. He is exempt from waivers so the Flyers can send him up and down as they please. Also, the Flyers cap situation is very tight, and his $3m+ contract is not a trivial number.
-Couturier has shown very well, but it was always going to be an uphill climb for him to make the squad at 18. I'd be very surprised if he sticks past the 10 game mark, when players his age must be sent back to juniors or else the Flyers will lose a year to his free agency status.
-The 7th defensemen spot battle still seems pretty wide open. Matt Walker has the most NHL bona fides, but also a much bigger contract than Gustafsson and Bartulis, so he will have to be that much better than them to make the team.
-Good stuff from Bobrovsky thus far. I previously said the Flyers would've been crazy to give the keys to the team this season, which I still definitely believe, but a year as a backup could be great for him. Especially if he plays like this for an extended period.
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