RETURN OF JVR
It was a couple of weeks before he hit unrestricted free agency that James van Riemsdyk had a conversation with Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas.
It was a talk that paved the way for the left-winger’s return to the Philadelphia Flyers.
“The Leafs they told me a few weeks before free agency opened that they were going in a different direction, so I appreciated that fact,” van Riemsdyk said Thursday. “Going into free agency is enough of an emotional and stressful time, let alone if you have to weigh a lot of factors.
“That allowed me to go into free agency with an open mind.”
Van Riemsdyk chose the Flyers, the team that drafted him second overall in 2008 and traded him to Toronto for defenceman Luke Schenn in 2012.
“You never really expect to be in the same place twice,” van Riemsdyk said. “But again, it’s a huge thrill for me to get a second chance, to come back here and hopefully we can do some great things on the ice. I’m happy with my choice.”
Van Riemsdyk and the Flyers visit the Maple Leafs on Saturday. It was believed the Maple Leafs might miss his scoring — he potted 36 goals last year and was a consistent producer.
But the Leafs haven’t missed a beat offensively, largely thanks to free-agent signing John Tavares. The Leafs have changed their power-play structure — van Riemsdyk had been a fixture in front of the net. He now performs that role for the Flyers.
It will be strange for van Riemsdyk to be in the visitors’ dressing room at Scotiabank Arena.
“It’s going to be an emotional day for me,” van Riemsdyk said. “It meant a lot for me to play for the Maple Leafs. I enjoyed my time there. It’s something I’ll really look back fondly on. But we’re there to get the two points and excited for the game to come.”
One of the high points for van Riemsdyk came in the form of an honour: Named the 100th best Maple Leaf in the team’s first 100 seasons.
“That’s one of the coolest things of recognition to date in my career,” van Riemsdyk said.
“My dad, growing up, harped on us about hockey history, so I have a really big appreciation for the Leaf franchise in general. To be on a list like that, with some of the players that are on that list, is a huge honour and a huge thrill for me.”
What van Riemsdyk didn’t have in Toronto was playoff success. His Leafs team made the post-season only three times, losing in the first round each time. But he packed a lot into his six seasons in blue and white.
“I look at it as a bit of a rollercoaster ride but I think I’m proud of the way the group we had there handled those ups and downs,” van Riemsdyk said. “I think it made us better for it on the other side.”
His first year, with Randy Carlyle as coach, Phil Kessel as their leading scorer and Dion Phaneuf as captain, saw the Leafs rise to the playoffs for the first time in the salary-cap era. Then there were massive collapses, with finally a drop to the bottom for a rebuild that is paying dividends now.
“It almost seemed like three very distinct eras: When I got there, that kind of core, then the transition to retool, and now with the core of young guys that are still on the team,” he said. “It was an exciting time to be a Maple Leaf. Lots of great memories for me playing there.”
He’s moved on, playing on a Philadelphia team willing to pay him US$35 million over five years. He said his free agency choice was easy.
“Looking at the fit, the organization, the city, all these different things that go into everyday life, you want to be on a good hockey team. It checked off all those boxes. I was excited to make that my choice.”
Unfortunately, he hasn’t played much, having missed 16 games this season with a lowerbody injury. He just returned last week.
“It’s not the start I wanted to have coming back to a new team,” van Riemsdyk said. “But that sort of stuff, it is what it is. You try to stick with the recovery process. There’s adjustments playing with a new team, and a new coach, new linemates, and new systems. But I feel better every game.”