James van Riemsdyk and the Columbus Blue Jackets have agreed to a one-year deal that is reportedly for $900,000. The 35-year-old veteran isn’t playing at the same level as he did in his early career, but he’s still a reliable role player who can perform well in the center of the six for his new team.
Veteran Presence
After scoring 36 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2017–18 season, van Riemsdyk has cooled off a little. These days, you can’t anticipate much more than 10-15 goals each season from him. Having said that, he is still a valuable third-line winger and offers a wealth of experience to the team. Although he hasn’t received any awards for his career, he has had some fantastic seasons, particularly while he was in Toronto. Last season, he performed admirably both with the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers.
Van Riemsdyk finished 2023–24 with 71 games played, 11 goals, and 27 assists for a total of 38 points. For a third-line guy, a half-point per game average is rather good.
Fit With Columbus
Van Riemsdyk isn’t a superstar by any means, but he’s still a useful asset with offensive and goal-scoring ability. Right now, he’s most suited for a third-line position, so that’s probably where the Blue Jackets will use him. It appears obvious what he wants to do for the rest of his career as a 35-year-old who has never won the Stanley Cup. He’s not going to do it in Columbus this season, most likely, but if he plays well with the Blue Jackets, he’ll be ideal trade bait on trade deadline day.
The Blue Jackets may start him farther in the lineup as an experienced backup for players like as Adam Fantilli, or if Kirill Marchenko breaks up the Russian line, new head coach Dean Evason.
All things considered, the Blue Jackets now have a player who can cover a need throughout the season in van Riemsdyk. They will be able to add another piece to the mix in a few months because he will probably be moving again around the trade deadline.
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