In late August, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Leafs were looking to shore up the depth on the left wing due to uncertainty surrounding Nicholas Robertson and the departure of Tyler Bertuzzi.
Van Riemsdyk has a history with the organization and has been identified as a possible fit for the Leafs up front. Current co-host of 'Leafs Morning Take' and a former teammate of JVR's, Jay Rosehill has been an advocate for a reunion on the latest episode.
At 35-yeard-old, he isn't the fastest skater anymore, but he can still park himself in front of the net and win puck battles in the corners, as he was known for during his time in Toronto. JVR previously played for the Leafs from 2012 to 2018 where he was often parked in front of the net on a line with Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel. Over six seasons in the blue and white, van Riemsdyk skated in 413 games and registered 154 goals and 294 points.
Source: Hockey Reference James van Riemsdyk Stats
POLL | ||
6 SEPTEMBRE | 320 ANSWERS Ex-Leaf strongly advocating for James van Riemsdyk return in Toronto Should the Leafs sign JVR to a PTO or a standard player contract for next season? | ||
Yes, PTO | 172 | 53.8 % |
Yes, SPC | 35 | 10.9 % |
No, neither | 113 | 35.3 % |
List of polls |