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The Philadelphia Flyers are not off to the best start to the 2022-23 season. As the New Year approaches, they find themselves near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. And the team could look to move a few pieces around.
NHL insider Jeff Marek appeared on an intermission edition of 32 Thoughts on Hockey Night in Canada recently. He dropped information regarding the Flyers’ thought process on forward James van Riemsdyk.
“They have made him available,” Marek said. “The actual cash here is $5 million (and) $1 million has already been paid as a bonus going back to last summer. The cap hit is $7 million … and the Flyers could eat some of that as well to make it more palatable for a team looking at James van Riemsdyk.”
The 33-year-old van Riemsdyk has only appeared in 12 games for the Flyers this season. However, he has produced in those games, racking up five goals and 11 points when he is on the ice.
van Riemsdyk signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the Flyers in 2018. It’s his second stint in Philadelphia, as the team drafted the 33-year-old second overall in the 2007 NHL Draft.
After three okay seasons, the Flyers traded van Riemsdyk to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored 154 goals and recorded 294 points in a Maple Leafs sweater before rejoining the Flyers.
Any acquiring team interested in van Riemsdyk is likely bringing him in as a rental. The 33-year-old is set to hit the open market following the conclusion of this season.
Given his near point-per-game pace, it isn’t entirely out of the question a contending team makes a run at van Riemsdyk. Only time will tell if an offer entices the Flyers to pull the trigger.