Flyers' James van Riemsdyk a handy addition to contender’s toolbox at trade deadline

We’re now fewer than three weeks away from the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline and Daily Faceoff has you covered every day with at least one trade-focused story leading up to deadline day.

Here we’re going to focus on Philadelphia Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk, who is No. 15 on our latest trade targets board.

2023 trade-deadline countdown: 20 days

JAMES van RIEMSDYK
Left Wing, Philadelphia Flyers
Shoots: Left
Age: 33
Height: 6’3″ | Weight: 217 lbs.
Cap Hit: $7 million
Term: Pending UFA
Trade Clause: No restrictions
Stats: 33 GP, 8 goals, 13 assists, 21 points, 16:01 ATOI
Career: 14th season (Philadelphia, Toronto) 912 GP, 296 goals, 583 points, 16:27 ATOI

Archetype and ideal role

Net-front scorer, middle-six winger, second-unit power play.

Van Riemsdyk started the season as the No. 12-ranked net-front scorer, part of Daily Faceoff’s archetype ranking series. According to Stathletes, he was 35th in total deflections per game last season, 43rd in shots from the inner slot and his average shot distance was just 22.9 feet. Van Riemsdyk would certainly add a presence in front of the net with a finishing touch. Ideally on a championship team, he would slot onto the third line with other players who can help hound pucks, then slide onto a second power-play unit to give that area of a team’s game a little net-front boost as well.

Scouting report

The No. 2 overall pick from 2007 has elite hockey sense. JVR can find soft areas and arrive to space in the offensive zone at the exact right time and become a threat in a number of different ways.

His first threat is with his shot. It’s not going to win a hardest shot competition, but it is deadly accurate, and he can get it off quickly. He can occasionally beat goaltenders from distance with that accuracy, and he uses his shot at times as an effective decoy to set up plays off the rush.

JVR’s next threat is with his hands. He has an innate ability to catch and release, to find loose pucks and get them off and under the bar. JVR owns elite hand-eye coordination. He can be effective at the net redirecting shots and can naturally extend coverage out and away from the crease because teams know about his ability to deflect incoming pucks from distance.

One thing about JVR is that he is willing to pay the price to win. He’s not afraid to go to the scoring areas in the offensive zone for looks. He won’t stand still and cross-check back and forth, trading barbs with opponents, but he is good at navigating the goal mouth and spinning off checks to take advantage of second-chance opportunities. That is part from his hockey sense, part from his willingness to go there.

JVR also has a little bit of former teammate Jaromir Jagr in him. When he has the puck, it’s hard to get it off of him. He protects it well and isn’t quick to give it away, exercising poise and patience with it. He understood puck possession before the fancy stats. In the cycle game, he can effectively put the puck in his pocket and make small-area plays to attacking teammates and then get to the net.

He can also be a very sneaky pain to play against. You might look at his skating and think that he is lazy on dump-ins, but watch closely and you will notice second and third efforts to get to pucks. Watch him also when he’s one-on-one with an opponent. He doesn’t give up. He is efficient with his movement, which has surprised someone like coach John Tortorella — what may appear to you as a lack of effort because it doesn’t look like he is flailing everywhere is actually quite deceiving.

With his experience, particularly playing somewhere between second- and third-line minutes for coaches, he can be moved up and down the lineup card. On top of that, JVR is a fitness freak and takes great care of his body.

Buyer beware

No surprise, but JVR is not a burner by any means. He lacks acceleration and overall speed, so he isn’t a great transporter of the puck up the ice, especially under pressure. He won’t push defenders back in the neutral zone. That relegates him to the third forward into the zone on a lot of occasions, forced to find empty space and arrive on time for quick strikes.

Unfortunately, given his lack of foot speed and his desire to get to the net for second chances, that means his defense is sometimes left out to dry when he is on the ice. Odd-man situations do result, especially off turnovers in the neutral zone and the offensive blueline.

His strengths clearly lie in the attacking zone. He lacks either the sense or the ability to be a reliable defender. He can fail to track back hard, or punch out to get into shooting lanes, which can lead to great scoring chances against. JVR has never been confused as a physical player and also rarely eats shots in his own end when things break down. He has been credited with just 87 blocked shots over these last five seasons in Philadelphia (307 games), so he averages just about one block every four games. He could put himself into position with his big frame to better take up space or be harder to get around.

Potential fits

• New Jersey Devils: The New Jersey kid would be right at home, even though he grew up a Rangers fan. As a Devils pick-up, he would be a reward for how well the Devils have played this season and provide a low-cost addition to give their struggling power play a boost. The Devils haven’t seemed wild about rentals, though.
• Calgary Flames: JVR would be a relatively low-cost addition to help the Flames on the man advantage. Unlike another talented winger from New Jersey, van Riemsdyk has played in Canada and enjoyed it, and he likely wouldn’t mind the experiment so long as he is given an opportunity to play with other talented players.
• Winnipeg Jets: The Jets have earned a deadline addition with their consistent approach this season. They’ve got oodles of cap space. JVR might not be the sexy, big-name addition Jets fans are clamoring for, but he could slot in well next to Adam Lowry (another smart player) and fit in perfectly as the type of personality GM Kevin Cheveldayoff would appreciate.
• Dallas Stars: We know the Stars are looking to add a top-six forward. How big will GM Jim Nill swing? His team has earned it. There would be salary-cap gymnastics involved to add a player with JVR’s cap hit, but you could see the fit, with Dallas owning an elite net-front scorer on both of their power play units alongside Joe Pavelski.
• Minnesota Wild: The scuffling Wild have struggled mightily to score at even strength. Their power play has mostly been fine. Van Riemsdyk makes his offseason home in Minnesota and would be a seamless fit. He could add a little scoring punch for a team that can only afford a rental, without breaking the bank on the acquisition cost.
• Seattle Kraken: JVR played for coach Dave Hakstol during his final season at the helm in Philadelphia. The Kraken have two additional second-round picks this season, and it’s easy to see Ron Francis rewarding his team while trying to help them get over the playoff hurdle.
• Washington Capitals: The once-vaunted Caps power play sits at 19th in the NHL. Enter JVR, who could help cover the net-front spot for oft-injured T.J. Oshie and give Washington a true presence to help get the team into the postseason.

Comparable trade returns

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to teams in search of scoring wingers at this deadline. Some teams (Minnesota, for instance) are purely in the market for rentals, while other teams (Carolina, New Jersey, others) would much prefer to add a player with term. Here are a few potential comps:

April 11, 2021
To Pittsburgh: Jeff Carter
To Los Angeles: 2022 third-round pick (Lucas Edmonds), 2023 third-round pick, 50% retained

Carter plays a different (and more valuable) position and was a couple of years older at the time of the trade, but he had roughly the same goal and point production as van Riemsdyk does now. The Kings also retained 50 percent in order to make it happen, which the Flyers almost surely must do to move him to a contender.

Feb. 24, 2020
To Pittsburgh: Patrick Marleau
To San Jose: 2021 third-round pick (Luca Munzenberger)

Yes, Marleau was 40 at the time of the trade, but he was also a bigger winger with power-play utility who had somewhat similar point production to JVR at the time of the trade.

Feb. 25, 2019
To San Jose: Gustav Nyquist
To Detroit: 2019 second-round Pick (Albert Johansson), 2020 third-round pick (Daemon Hunt), 30% retained

Nyquist likely represents the ceiling of what the Flyers might expect to receive. Nyquist had already racked up nearly 50 points that season in Detroit and then pumped in another 11 for the Sharks on their run to the Western Conference final.

Summary

If the correct expectations are set, van Riemsdyk is undoubtedly a useful playoff addition who can provide complementary scoring depth. When coupled with solid, 200-foot players, he can be an effective scoring threat. Perhaps his best quality is that JVR knows himself. He knows how to play to his strengths. He is confident in himself, and his ability to perform no matter the circumstance, which also a trait that cannot be properly quantified. He doesn’t try to be anything he’s not, which makes him a low-maintenance add.