Report: Calgary Flames expressing trade interest in James van Riemsdyk
By Mike Gould
1 year agoDuring an appearance on The Jeff Marek Show on Sportsnet 590 in Toronto on Wednesday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman repeatedly linked the Calgary Flames with Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk during his conversation with guest host Matt Marchese.
Asked by Marchese about the trade markets for pending unrestricted free agent forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and van Riemsdyk, Friedman talked about the former at length before shifting gears to the veteran Flyers sniper:
Elliotte Friedman: James van Riemsdyk, well, he’s definitely out there. I think there’s some teams looking at him. It wouldn’t surprise me if Calgary was looking at him, for example. I think the Maple Leafs are looking for somebody who can complement their current core very well, and if you look at it and you say, ‘You know, van Riemsdyk is a fit for that,’ then I could see him being on their radar. But I haven’t heard his name with Toronto. It doesn’t mean anything, they’re pretty good at being secretive, too, but I think, if they were in it, they’d have to get moving because I think Philly is getting to the short strokes with van Riemsdyk. I do think Calgary is, potentially, one of the teams.
van Riemsdyk, 33, is a 6’3″, 208-lb. left wing who is under contract through the end of the 2022–23 season at a $7 million NHL cap hit. His deal does not carry any trade or movement protection.
Through 31 games with the Flyers this season, van Riemsdyk has recorded eight goals and 21 points. He amassed 24 goals and 38 points over a full 82-game slate with Philadelphia in 2021–22.
This isn’t the first time Friedman has mentioned van Riemsdyk and the Flames in the same breath this season. Back in December, Friedman had this to say about JVR in one of his “32 Thoughts” columns: “Thought Calgary, looking for offence, might eventually make sense for James van Riemsdyk, but don’t think it’s going to fit.”
Now, it appears Friedman has changed his tune — and it comes shortly after Daily Faceoff‘s Frank Seravalli listed van Riemsdyk as one of the Flames’ top options leading up to the Mar. 3 trade deadline.
Friedman went on to say this on Wednesday about the respective strategies he expects the NHL’s Canadian teams to adopt over the coming days and weeks:
Friedman (cont’d): I don’t know that there’s anybody in Canada that’s going to make a bigger trade than Vancouver just did. I mean, I hope so, it’s exciting. But I’m not sure anybody’s going to make a bigger trade than Vancouver just did. You know what, I think it’s going to be Toronto or Winnipeg. I think Edmonton’s going to add but I think it’s going to be more for a fit. I think Calgary, like I said, I think they’ve got some interest in van Riemsdyk, I think that’s the kind of player that they add.
The Flyers originally selected van Riemsdyk in the first round (No. 2 overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft. He spent the first three seasons of his NHL career in Philadelphia before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012; after playing in Toronto for six years, van Riemsdyk returned to the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent in 2018.
Through 910 career NHL games over parts of 14 regular seasons with the Flyers and Maple Leafs, van Riemsdyk has scored 296 goals and 583 points. He’s added 20 goals and 31 points in 71 NHL playoff games, most notably helping the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Final as a rookie in 2010.
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