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Philadelphia Flyers Remain or Remove: James van Riemsdyk

By Benjamin Gabrych

ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 04: Philadelphia Flyers leftwing James van Riemsdyk (25) gets ready to take a face off during a NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues on April 04, 2019, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 04: Philadelphia Flyers leftwing James van Riemsdyk (25) gets ready to take a face off during a NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues on April 04, 2019, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The newly turned 30-year-old forward had a frustrating beginning to the 2018-19 season but quickly came into his own for the Philadelphia Flyers.

James van Riemsdyk didn’t have the start to the 2018-19 campaign that Philadelphia Flyers fans expected after he signed a five-year, 35 million dollar contract in the previous offseason. He was sidelined with a lower-body injury that kept him out for over a month, and it took him a bit of time to fully get back to Top-6 level play when he returned. As soon as van Riemsdyk did, he earned every single part of that contract.

JvR posted 48 points (27 Goals, 21 Assists) in 66 games played, ranking second on the Flyers in goals scored while playing at least 16 fewer games than the players sitting above and around him. He actually had a higher point-per-game average than he did in his final year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, going from 0.67 in 2017-18 to 0.73 with Philadelphia. Van Riemsdyk did almost everything that was asked of him coming into this past season; score goals.

Where JvR did struggled a bit was creating more scoring chances than opposition. The 2007 Second Overall Pick sat fifth and fourth lowest on the Flyers in Scoring Chances For (SCF%) and High Danger Scoring Chances For (HDCF%) percentages among skaters who played at least 500 minutes of Time on Ice at even strength with 45.48% and 48.51%, according to Natural Stat Trick. This was a steep drop off from the numbers he posted in his last year with Toronto, which was at 59.37 SCF% and 59.59 HDCF%. Some of this was due to the change in coaching systems and just how inconsistent Philadelphia was on both sides of the puck in 2018-19, but the dramatic fall is still somewhat concerning. He was able to outscore the opposing teams in the dangerous areas of the ice, though, posting a 58.00 High Danger Goals For percentage.

In my opinion, this is another easy decision for General Manager Chuck Fletcher. Not one team is going to give you equal value in a trade for van Riemsdyk with his high cap hit. He still brings an excellent goal scoring ability, and the Flyers need that more than anything at this point with their plethora of playmakers on the roster.

More. What Would Be A Fair Return For Shayne Gostisbehere In A Possible Trade?. light

I’m interested to see the type of season JvR will have if he’s one hundred percent healthy because he sure was effective in the second half of last year once he got his skating legs back. He should, at the very least, have another solid campaign in an Orange and Black uniform once the 2019-20 season gets underway.

Verdict: Remain.

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