Meet Simon Benoit, the defenceman the Maple Leafs could end up needing
Dallas Eakins scratched his head the first time he saw Simon Benoit.
Here stood a lanky, undrafted defenceman who had earned an invite to the Anaheim Ducks 2018 development camp. At 6-foot-3, Benoit’s frame was interesting, but he was also the lightest of 11 defencemen in camp.
Eakins, coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls at the time and then Ducks coach a year later, ended up not being able to take his eyes off Benoit.
“The best way for a new player to get noticed is to do well on the fitness test,” Eakins said. “(Benoit) came in and knocked it out of the park. That, obviously, got our attention right away.”
Benoit didn’t back down from playing physical against drafted players and became the only junior invite on the blue line for rookie camp. An invite to the Ducks training camp followed. Eakins described Benoit as “raw,” but there was something that stood out about his potential, obvious physical traits and equally obvious good-natured attitude. The kid from Laval, Que., refused to go away.
“The one thing you have to know about (Benoit) is that he’s been given nothing in his career. Not one thing. Everything has been earned,” Eakins said with a sense of pride when describing how Benoit logged a 19:21 average time on ice for the Ducks last season.
Yes, the Ducks’ 58 points is among the lowest ever in an 82-game season, and their 335 goals against were the most in the NHL last season. Had the Ducks been contenders, Benoit may not have gotten as much ice time.
But Eakins believes the punishing defensive defenceman would have found his way over the boards regardless of the team.
“That kid, to me, is the poster child of putting your mind to something, and having a certain mindset to the challenge in front of you, that it can be done,” Eakins said.
Benoit now finds himself in the biggest challenge of his career. After not being qualified as an RFA by the Ducks, Benoit signed a one-year, $775,000 deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s trying to force his way onto a blue line that has been set since the summer.
But now, Benoit might see some daylight: 40-year-old Mark Giordano doesn’t appear likely to play the 78 games he did last season. John Klingberg missed one week of training camp with an upper-body injury. And a recent unfortunate injury to Conor Timmins has pushed Benoit up the depth chart.
During Wednesday’s practice, Benoit received his biggest opportunity with the Leafs, skating on a pair with Jake McCabe.
Still, Benoit reverts to his default setting. He knows he’s behind the eight ball, but believes he can work his way onto the the NHL club.
“It’s part of me now, working harder to get what I want,” he said. “It’s a challenge.”
Benoit’s work ethic and frame earned him a one-year AHL contract out of training camp in 2018. He showed the necessary speed to support the rush, but his puck skills and his shot left something to be desired.
Benoit needed to get stronger and process the game under pressure. He benefitted from the tutelage of longtime NHL defenceman Sylvain Lefebvre, one of the Gulls’ assistant coaches. The need to understand the game at high speeds is no different from that of many young defencemen (Exhibit A is Timothy Liljegren and his development), but what did differentiate Benoit, according to Eakins, was his desire to improve. It was rare that Benoit wasn’t the last person on the ice after Gulls practices.
“He was more than willing to watch video and then say, ‘I wanna go again. Put someone else on me,’” Eakins said.
Eakins understands there are times when young players don’t feel like hitting the gym. He claims no one spent more time adding muscle than Benoit, and that all along, his positivity never wavered. No ego. Just plenty of questions and a focus on implementing lessons the following day.
“If you want your organization to succeed, you need everyone showing up with a desire to be excellent,” Eakins said. “And (Benoit) does it with a smile on his face.”
That work ethic meant far more people took note of his success than anyone would have predicted back in the summer of 2018.
“When you think about a team that succeeds, having guys who block shots, finish checks, compete in hard areas — those are things that earn you a lot of respect from your teammates,” said then-Gulls assistant coach David Urquhart.
The Ducks signed Benoit to a three-year NHL contract before his rookie AHL season was up. The team appreciated his improved stick positioning, how he could kill opposition plays as they were developing and how he could, in Eakins’ mind, use his frame and newly added muscle to “elicit some fear.”
“He can be moved up, down, out, and he’s just going to nod his head and say thank you,” Eakins said.
After three AHL seasons and one full season in the NHL, Benoit moved up higher than anticipated with Anaheim in 2022-23. His ATOI was the fourth highest on the Ducks. He started 63.8 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone, which is part of the reason why his expected goals at five-on-five sank as low as it did to 37 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Still, on a thin Ducks blue line, Benoit looked to have a future in Anaheim. Because what he did do well, and more than most other NHL players, was hit. His 216 hits were 21st in the NHL and would easily be the most of any Leaf on this year’s roster. After years of development, he can move the puck cleanly and close down well on the opposition.
Why didn’t it work out in the organization that developed him?
“We didn’t get to an agreement,” Benoit said.
Benoit’s track record of overcoming challenges will be put to the test over the final days of training camp. Back spasms caused him to miss a healthy chunk of the start of camp, and he has only played two preseason games. He’s trying to get up to speed on the Leafs’ defensive systems.
“They like to step up at the blue line,” Benoit said of the adjustment to the Leafs systems. “And I have a big reach. For me, I think I can be good at that — being physical with my first couple steps, kill plays and give the puck to the big forwards.”
Perhaps his best chance of seeing game time with the Leafs early could be if he can succeed on the right side of the ice. Crucially, the left-shot Benoit logged an entire season on the right in San Diego, as well as time here and there with the Ducks. That familiarity and experience could come in handy.
His frame and penchant for the rough stuff will come in handy. Eakins argues the best centres who take draws eye up who is across from them beforehand and look for areas of the ice to exploit. He imagines those same players muttering under their breath, “Oh geez, there’s Benoit. I better keep my head up.”
“He plays hard, he plays physical. He’s got a really long stick. You’ll notice (in the Leafs Oct. 4 preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens), he broke up quite a few plays because of his reach,” said Leafs PTO signing Noah Gregor, who played against Benoit in the Pacific Division.
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe appreciates that Benoit has a different makeup than his Leafs peers but is a “good fit” for the team. Perhaps that fit will come in handy the most once the flowers bloom in springtime. Postseason hockey was partly why Benoit signed in Toronto.
“I thought I could be useful for this team, especially in the playoffs with my size and my defensive play,” Benoit said. “I think they were looking for a physical defenceman this summer. I know what they expect of me.”
Between now and then, Benoit’s role is to be determined. His placement in the top four on Wednesday suggested Keefe wants to see Benoit in a shutdown role.
Benoit shrugs when discussing the uncertainty of the season ahead. He’s worked his way up the hockey ladder from the bottom rung. He knows the odds against him succeeding in Anaheim were low.
The odds might be low in Toronto, too, but Benoit revels in the challenge.
“He’s a great reminder of how we should all go about our lives,” Eakins said of Benoit. “He’s an inspirational kid. If that kid can make it to the NHL with the skill set he showed up with, the sky is the limit for all of us.”
