The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year contract with a $1 million cap hit.
van Riemsdyk is a 36-year-old veteran winger with 16 seasons of NHL experience. He was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Flyers in the 2008-09 season and went on to play eight seasons with the organization and still sits 24th all-time in goals scored as a Flyer. He then went on to play six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, followed by one with the Boston Bruins, before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets last season.
van Riemsdyk Still Producing Offense At Excellent Rate
With the Blue Jackets last season, van Riemsdyk scored 16 goals and added 20 assists for 36 points in the 71 games he got into. If he had played all 82 games, he would have been projected to finish with 41.57 points, an excellent scoring pace considering he averaged a career low 12:24 ice time per game.
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Even with van Riemsdyk aging and his effectiveness in tough minutes dropping, he remains a valuable asset to have in a depth role due to his ability to find space in front of the net and bury chances close to the goalie. For the Blue Jackets last season, van Riemsdyk averaged the third-most high-danger chances and fifth-most expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five.
van Riemsdyk Brings Much-Needed Depth Scoring to the Red Wings
van Riemsdyk has scored 10 or more goals in all 16 seasons he has been in the NHL, and has also had a shooting percentage above 10% in 12 of the last 13 NHL seasons. With the Red Wings, he will likely get a chance to play middle-six minutes, pending any other offseason acquisitions and will likely play net front on one of the Red Wings’ power-play units.
For $1 million for the season, the Red Wings are getting great value on this contract for a guy who can play anywhere in the lineup and with anybody, given his ability to play strongly in the dirty areas of the ice. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he is a player who is built for the playoffs. Throughout his career, he has 21 goals and 36 points in the 82 playoff games he has played.
With the Red Wings just narrowly missing the playoffs last season due to struggles offensively, the Red Wings are banking on van Riemsdyk’s offensive impact to help elevate their depth and give this team a better shot at challenging for a playoff spot.
