The Blue Jackets signed James van Riemsdyk to a one-year contract worth $900k on September 15th, just three weeks before the start of the regular season. At the time, this seemed like a depth add for insurance; but as the season wears on, "JVR" has given the team so much more than we might have expected.
A veteran of 15 NHL seasons, van Riemsdyk was the second overall pick (behind Patrick Kane) at the 2007 NHL Draft. Coincidentally, that Draft was held at Nationwide Arena, in an event that saw the Jackets draft Jakub Voracek with the #7 overall pick.
Like Voracek, JVR has gone on to play more than 1,000 NHL games (1,060 at the time of this article). In that time, he's been a model of consistency; averaging around 21 goals and 44 points per year. Not as spectacular as you would expect someone taken second overall to be, but he has been one of the premier net-front guys in the league for much of his career.
When he signed with the Jackets, I figured he would play the role of 13th forward; filling in on the fourth line as needed and giving the team a veteran presence around the locker room. Instead, he's played in 49 of the first 56 games, and recently has been featured in a prominent second line role.
He has not looked out of place in that role, either. Since the start of the new year, he has 16 points (7 goals) in 18 games played. This is much needed offense for a team that is missing two thirds of its top line, as well as a couple of very important middle-six forwards.
Most recently, James has caught my attention for his work alongside rookie center Luca del bel Belluz. He's brought a calming presence to that line, and the two of them developed an obvious chemistry early on. They've played with a variety of players on the other wing, but regardless who has been there, it has worked.
Surprisingly, this gave the Jackets a potent second line at a time when they really needed some help. And, I think it's the veteran swagger of van Riemsdyk that has led the way - which is exactly what this team has been lacking over the last few seasons.
Solid pros can make all the difference...
We've talked about this quite a bit over the course of this rebuild. The Jackets have had good players, but things have been slow to swing in the right direction. A big part of that reason: a lack of leadership throughout the lineup. Or, maybe we should call it the wrong kind of leadership.
So, it makes sense that some of Don Waddell's first moves at the helm, were bringing in quality veterans like van Riemsdyk, Jack Johnson, Kevin Labanc, Zach Aston-Reese, and most importantly, Sean Monahan.
Each of these players have been great in the room, which has brought so much more to this team than their on-ice play might indicate. The young players are seeing what it takes to be a 10 or 15 year NHL player, and that goes a long way towards their early development.
When we look at the recent breakouts of players like Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kirill Marchenko; we have to give credit to the leadership group around this team. It certainly hasn't hurt.
All it cost to bring in veteran left wing James van Riemsdyk, was a UFA contract for less than $1 million dollars. He's been worth every penny, even without the scoring. That has just been a bonus.