While the peaks of the NHL offseason and free agency are well in the rearview mirror at this point, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves at the center of things still, represented by some of the best remaining players still on the market.
For example, at the goalie position, veteran free agent Cam Talbot remains one of the top netminders available after an uneven stint on a mediocre Detroit Red Wings team.
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Another former Flyers player among the best remaining free agents at their respective position who also played on last year’s Red Wings is none other than former Flyers No. 2 overall pick James van Riemsdyk, who has carved out a late-career renaissance as an efficient depth scorer for an aspiring contender.
van Riemsdyk, 37, remains unsigned over one month after the opening of free agency despite scoring a respectable 15 goals, 16 assists, and 31 points in 72 games for the Red Wings, which he managed to achieve even while receiving a career-low average of 11:45 of ice time.
The former Flyers winger isn’t quite the same player he was even in his second stint with Philadelphia, as four full seasons have now passed since van Riemsdyk’s last 20-goal season, a 24-tally campaign with the Flyers in 2021-22.
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Still though, van Riemsdyk is, after all, an NHL veteran of 1,154 regular season games and a seven-time 20-goal-scorer; if he still wants to continue his NHL career, he has the savvy and the experience to benefit a contender.
The Middletown, New Jersey, native has made the rounds in the Eastern Conference over the last few years, playing with four teams in as many years. After leaving the Flyers in 2023, van Riemsdyk has played with the Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Detroit Red Wings.
Even those teams are a step or two removed from the likes of Florida, Colorado, Edmonton, Vegas, and Carolina.
These cap-strapped teams (with the exception of Carolina) could do worse than to nab van Riemsdyk on a cheap one-year deal to offer the wily vet one last chance at the elusive Stanley Cup.
van Riemsdyk played the bulk of his 17-year NHL career with the Flyers, scoring 146 goals, 151 assists, and 297 points in 527 games in the Orange and Black.
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