Former Leafs winger lands on the trading block
When you think of the Leafs prior to their rebuild, there are a few key players that come to mind: Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk. On the topic of JVR, after finishing the 2017-2018 season with the Leafs, he signed with the Flyers on a 5-year deal worth $7M per year, a well-earned contract from a player who served the Leafs well during his tenure in Toronto. Now, he is in the last year of his deal and it seems that the Flyers are looking to trade the 33-year-old winger, as Jeff Marek of Sportsnet reported during the second intermission of Hockey Night in Canada last night.
JVR is a 14-season veteran in the NHL. After starting his career in Philadelphia, the forward was traded to the Leafs prior to the 2012-2013 season for defenseman Luke Schenn. After spending six seasons with the Leafs, he signed back with Philly, where he has played ever since. In 890 career games, JVR has registered 292 goals and 572 points, with seven 20+ goal seasons under his belt.
This year, JVR has played just 11 games, but has 4 goals and 10 points, with a +6 rating. While his best years might be behind him, JVR can still provide some offense and goal-scoring to a contending team. Since the Flyers are far from being in playoff contention, it makes sense that they would want to get some assets for a player on an expiring contract. While $7M might be tricky to afford for most playoff-caliber teams, Philly will likely have to retain half the salary, making it a bit easier to fit JVR under the cap.
One has to wonder, could the Leafs be interested in acquiring him? Obviously there would need to be salary retention, but he could slot in on the second line to play with JT and Marner, where there is a current clear need, and there is already some familiarity between the team and JVR. Additionally, van Riemsdyk won't cost the Leafs as many assets as other trade targets, such as Kane, O'Reilly and Horvat.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 18 | 326 ANSWERS Former Leafs winger lands on the trading block Would you want to see JVR return to the Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 109 | 33.4 % |
| No | 122 | 37.4 % |
| Depends on the price | 95 | 29.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
