One of Don Waddell's biggest moves for the Blue Jackets last summer flew way under the radar from a broad perspective. But, adding James van Riemsdyk just before the start of the season may have been one of the best things he's done for this franchise to this point.
Being completely honest, I don't think many of us thought too much about the addition at the time. We were still deeply mourning the loss of our beloved superstar Johnny Gaudreau. Hockey wasn't on our minds much at all.
But, as they say, the show must go on. The league wasn't going to wait, and the season was rapidly approaching. Waddell scrambled to add veterans to this lineup, because he understood the importance of having good leadership around this team, especially during this tough time. To that end, James van Riemsdyk was the absolute perfect addition to this group.
Originally picked second overall at the 2007 NHL Draft (just after Patrick Kane), van Riemsdyk came to Columbus with 1,011 games of NHL experience. In that time, he'd accrued 311 goals and 629 points playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins.
Those of us who have followed the game knew him as one of the better net-front players in the league from his generation. Though he hasn't had the wildly productive career that we usually see from players picked inside the top-5, he seemed like a good guy to take an inexpensive gamble on. If nothing else, he could play on the second power-play and be a depth scorer here.
That's exactly what happened. van Riemsdyk fit seamlessly into the lineup, almost right away looking like a guy who has been here for years. He played 71 games with the Jackets this season, scoring 16 goals and 36 points. While those numbers don't jump off the page at you, consider this: he played less than 12:30 per game.
For a guy who was signed just before the season at a less than $1 million dollar cap hit, van Riemsdyk turned into a solid secondary scorer here. He played up and down the lineup on any given night, just went about his business, and quietly became a fan favorite.
His biggest contributions cannot be measured by statistics.
The most important things van Riemsdyk did for the Blue Jackets, are immeasurable. At least, by statistics. But, ask Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko, or even Luca del bel Belluz what he meant to this group. I'm sure they would speak the world of him.
Whether in the arena or at home, you could see van Riemsdyk's leadership coming through with this group. Often, you would catch him on the bench or before faceoffs, pointing out different things to his line-mates. This is a team that has had vocal leaders such as Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski, and Erik Gudbranson for years. But, what they really needed this year: a crafty, experienced veteran who knows how to get to the paint and score goals.
van Riemsdyk's tutorship certainly played a part in every player we just mentioned having career years offensively, save maybe del bel Belluz - but it didn't hurt having the big vet on his flank when he was called up. Whether they were learning how to deflect pucks better (Voronkov), or where to lay passes (Johnson), you could see his influence in their games.
I can't go on without mentioning his chemistry with Johnson, in particular. Last year, KJ scored just 6 goals and 16 points in 42 games. This year, he blossomed for a 24-33-57 (68gp) stat line, and he looked at his absolute best alongside van Riemsdyk. There was definitely some magic between the two.
On the ice or off the ice, I'm not sure how one could give van Riemsdyk any lower than an "A" grade this season. I cannot credit him enough for what he brought to this team under tough circumstances, and I would love to see him back again next year.