The Philadelphia Flyers bring back the young forward in James Van Riemsdyk
NHL
Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux are going to get some much-needed help next season. The Philadelphia Flyers have brought back James Van Riemsdyk to the city of brotherly love. The Flyers drafted Riemsdyk 2nd overall back in 2007.
Riemsdyk was debatably the second-best forward available on the 2018 NHL free agency market, right behind John Tavares. JVR’s stats definitely show why any team looking for a solid left winger should have landed him. He found the back of the net 36 times during last year’s regular season and three more times in the playoffs that same year. Overall, Riemsdyk has scored 201 career goals, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. At only 29 years old, he can only go up from here.
As previously mentioned, Riemsdyk was drafted by Philly. The young star amassed 99 career points in his first 196 career game over the span of three seasons with the Flyers. The New Jersey native was then traded in 2012 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where his career soared. In 2014, Riemsdyk hit a career-high 61 points in 80 games. Throughout his career in Toronto, Riemsdyk only fell below 30 points once (29 points in 2016). In addition, Riemsdyk helped lead the Leafs back to the postseason for the past two seasons. Riemsdyk looks to reenact his performance in his return to the liberty city as he already has a connection with the team, such as their Captain, Claude Giroux.
According to ESPN’s John Buccigross, the contract is going to be worth $35 million, with a $7 million average for about five years. For Toronto, Riemsdyk not resigning could mean a potential push in landing Tavares. For Philidelphia, look for them to be a much stronger team next season. With this addition in Riemsdyk, the Flyers have the potential to make a deep playoff run next season.
