Van Riemsdyk Inks One-Year Deal with Blue Jackets
James van Riemsdyk is expected to bring his veteran experience and goal-scoring ability to a young Blue Jackets team. His experience in scoring and physical play will likely be valuable in providing leadership and depth scoring, especially for a team that has been in a rebuilding phase.
Van Riemsdyk is known for his strong presence around the net, where he excels in tipping pucks and scoring in tight areas. JVR’s leadership qualities and veteran experience have also made him a valuable asset to his teams, both on and off the ice. So far, he is expected to become quite a promising addition to the team considering the fact that they need some veteran presence in the squad.
JVR has played for multiple teams in his career. He was drafted 2nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 NHL Draft, then later played for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2012 to 2018, before returning to the Flyers in 2018 to 2022 and then signing with the Boston Bruins last August 2023.
A Productive Veteran
Van Riemsdyk is considered to be one of the most promising players who can serve as a reliable reserve in any squad considering how well he performs in a secondary role for his team. This says a lot about how the Blue Jackets valued him as a spark off the bench and a locker room leader for their young squad.
In 71 games last season, van Riemsdyk tallied a total of 38 points coming off 11 goals and 27 assists with the Boston Bruins. He has also played 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games for his team and tallied five points coming from four assists and a goal. Adding him to a squad like the Blue Jackets should enable him to work even better with more minutes as well.
For his career, van Riemsdyk has already tallied 629 points (311 goals, 318 assists) in 1,011 regular-season games for the Bruins, Flyers and Maple Leafs. He has also amassed a total of 36 points (21 goals, 15 assists) in 82 playoff games. The Blue Jackets could definitely make use of him well in the coming season as they seek to re-enter the competitive side of the NHL once more.
A Chance to Win
The Blue Jackets finished dead last in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference with a 27-43-12 record for 66 points. The team has been one of the lowly teams in the last five years, with the 2019-20 season being their last playoff appearance where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round.
For van Riemsdyk, who has been an unrestricted free agent since July 1 before the signing, this is a chance for him to help a team come back and secure a return to the playoffs. So far, this will be a long and trying season for him, which will see him give him all his best to be a leader when needed.
"For sure at this stage of my career, it's all about having a chance to win and obviously being in a place where it's a good fit as far as with what you bring to the table," van Riemsdyk said of his future in the game.
At this point, van Riemsdyk seeks to come up with a hopeful run with the Blue Jackets. Who knows? Maybe he can lead them to a bigger run sooner or later while he takes his time in guiding them with his veteran experience in the game.