James van Riemsdyk will always be one of those players that Flyers fans will never quite be able to put their finger on, emotionally.
He was a hot rookie star but got hurt and was traded away in one of the worst trades ever in team history, returned to the team on a high-priced contract, never lived up to that contract, and was surprisingly not traded away at the trade deadline (which ended up costing Chuck Fletcher his job) just to become a free agent again.
Last year, he signed a one-year "prove-it" deal with the Boston Bruins for just $ 1 million. After scoring just 12 goals in 2022-23, half of what he scored the year before, he scored 11 goals with Boston but increased his assist total from 17 to 27. He was even a contributor to the Bruins in the playoffs.
Ok, the 35-year-old winger isn't what he used to be. That much is certain. However, he can still be dangerous. Six of his eleven goals last year were on the power play. In comparison, that would've led the Flyers by one goal (Owen Tippett had five).
The Philadelphia Flyers could consider someone like James van Riemsdyk
His average minutes on the ice were 13:30 minutes, the lowest since his rookie season. Still, he has veteran leadership potential.
And yet, here we are in mid-August, just a month away from training camps opening up, and he is still sitting there as a free agent. Sure, other former Flyers are sitting there too.
Tony DeAngelo pretty much got the bum rush out of Carolina and after two really bad years in a row and with his reputation, it's pretty safe to say he's done. Marc Staal is a free agent, but he is also 37 and coming off an injury-prone season. So, what's up with JVR?
Again, he's lost a step. At the same time, he did seem to mesh well with an overloaded Bruins team. Scoring 11 goals in a bottom-six role is nothing to sneeze at. A player like him, with 311 career goals and 318 career assists can be a valuable addition to just about any team.
According to Puckpedia, out of the 32 NHL teams, 21 are currently cap-compliant. Some, like the Flyers, would be once they move Ryan Johansen and Ryan Ellis to LTIR. Still, there are some good options. He'd be a great veteran addition to a team like the Penguins.
He could go to the Caps and play with his brother which is something I'm sure he'd love to do. He'd be a great player to go to Chicago and work alongside of Connor Bedard or Anaheim with Cutter Gauthier. Even the Bruins have some salary space open.
I understand that when you get to your mid to late 30s, teams may hesitate to take you on. Many teams would want to bring up younger talent which is why he's not a good fit for Philly anymore. Still, for $1 million, it's surprising nobody wants to take a chance on him.