James van Riemsdyk Signs 5-Year, $35 Million Dollar Deal with Flyers

James van Riemsdyk has signed a 5-year contract with the Philidelphia Flyers worth $7 million per year. This signing comes after van Riemsdyk posted a career-high 36 goals to go along with a respectable 54 points. Keep in mind that Mike Babcock had him playing on the third line with sub-par players that for most of the year included the likes of Tyler Bozak and Kasperi Kapanen.

Van Riemsdyk started his career in Philadelphia as he was drafted second overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft. However, he was traded in 2012 to the Maple Leafs for defenseman Luke Schenn. While he seemed like a bust at the time, the return of Luke Schenn downgraded the Flyers roster. In his three years of playing with the Flyers, (after being drafted, he played 2 more years for the University of New Hampshire) his highest point total was 40. While his third year with the Flyers was during the lockout, he was not on pace to improve that point total. His numbers vastly improved with Toronto. His best years in Toronto (and in his career) have been his previous two seasons. In the 2016-2017 season, he had a career-high 62 points followed by last season’s 36 goals. Bringing back van Riemsdyk will further bolster Philadelphia’s forward group of Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Wayne Simmonds, and young centerman Nolan Patrick.

While van Riemsdyk may be getting the salary of elite players like Johnny Gaudreau, Fillip Forsberg, and David Pastrnak, this signing provides stability for Philidelphia. Wayne Simmonds will be a free agent in a year. Rumors surrounding Simmonds indicate that the Flyers may be preparing to trade him. van Riemsdyk is in his prime years and plays a similar role, in front of the net on the powerplay. Last season, both players had an impressive 11 goals on the powerplay. The addition of van Riemsdyk will also fill a massive need on the second line for the Flyers. While Oskar Lindblom only played 23 games for the Flyers last year, he didn’t produce well with only six points. He even had more penalty minutes (8) than points (6). This is despite consistently playing on the second line. Furthermore, Patrick and Voracek are pass-first players so having van Riemsdyk should help to balance out the scoring for Philadelphia. While van Riemsdyk may never live up to his potential as a second overall draft pick, he should help improve Philadelphia’s forward core with his goal-scoring ability.