Kings face Simmonds for first time

There were, of course, two sides of the trade that brought Mike Richards to the Kings this summer, as Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn went east in the deal. Simmonds, a popular player during his three seasons with the Kings, is off to a solid start with one goal and one assist in three games with the Flyers. The Flyers skated at their practice rink today, but the Philadelphia Inquirer caught up with Simmonds for his thoughts on facing the Kings

Flyers downplay Richards’ return

I talked with Drew Doughty, who was Simmonds’ closest friend on the Kings — and his in-season roommate — for his perspective…

Question: Any good trash-talking between you and Simmonds?

DOUGHTY: “We were just texting yesterday, and I’ll probably see him for a little bit today, hopefully. But when we get out there on the ice, it’s obviously business and we’re not going to let up on each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if we both take a couple runs at each other too.’’

Question: Did you get a sense of what his reaction was like, after the trade?

DOUGHTY: “I think, at first, he was pretty disappointed. He enjoyed being in L.A. and stuff like that, but from talking to him a lot, he’s loving being here now. It’s a fresh start for him and, with the team we have here, he’s going to have a lot more opportunity with the Philadelphia team, to get more minutes and stuff like that, so he’s really happy here. At first he was obviously a little upset and shocked by the trade, but now it has worked out well so he’s happy.’’

Question: Is this one of those trades that worked well for both teams? You guys get a strong center and they get some help on the wing…

DOUGHTY: “Definitely. Picking up Rick [Mike Richards] is obviously huge for us. He makes us so much better and I think we all know that. Obviously we’re all going to miss Simmer in the room, and stuff like that, because he’s a good guy, but we realize that it’s a business and it was a good trade for us. At the same time, Philly picks up two young guys who are going to be good players down the road for them. It was, like you said, a good trade for both sides.’’