Toronto Maple Leafs: Making a Case to Sign JVR
By Alex Hobson
If you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you know there are always going to be rumours.
The city of Toronto is home to arguably the biggest hockey market in the world. Reporters and news outlets are everywhere and media personnel attending every game. If you play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, you’re constantly going to be under the microscope.
When you think about trade rumours circulating around the Leafs, James van Riemsdyk‘s name jumps to mind. With the emergence of young stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, JVR seems to be more expendable. The Leafs are weak on defense and deep on offense, so it makes sense to trade van Riemsdyk.
This is how you get the never-dying proposed trade of JVR for a top four defenseman.
But now that JVR is a pending UFA with only a couple of months worth of hockey to play for whoever acquires him, he’s not going to bring back very much in a trade, which means there is no point in moving him.
The Rumour
Earlier this week, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that JVR would prefer a six year contract at six million per year to stay in Toronto.
The overwhelming majority of people saw that and realized that JVR is likely going to be playing for a new team next year. With everyone the Leafs need to sign, it’s doubtful they’ll be able to afford the luxury of someone like JVR on the third line for much longer.
But, then again, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
JVR in Toronto
JVR has been the most consistent Leaf since 2013. So this is of course excluding the three young stars, but when you look at the stats, they don’t lie. Every year since being acquired, he’s put up close to 30 goals and put up between 55-65 points (excluding the lockout year and the 2015-16 season, where he was injured, but still scored at the same pace). This season, he’s put up 29 points through 44 games, on pace for yet another 30 goal, 60-point area season.
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He’s paid to score goals and be a net-front presence. And when it comes down to that, he’s very, very good at his job. The Leafs may be loaded on offense, but a successful forward group needs a diverse set of roles. And the fact is, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ don’t have another big-bodied forward who can screen the goalie and play that role, let alone the way that he does.
The Leafs have loads of talent to lock up, yes, but just because initial rumours state he wants six million per for six years, that doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. The Leafs managed to lock up Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly up at $4.5 million and $5 million per year respectively.
The Leafs should definitely look into signing van Riemsdyk. Players like him don’t grow on trees and if later on the Leafs get tied up financially and need to move assets to free up cap space, then there will likely be lots of teams who would take a 30 goal scorer for $6 million.
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With the cap going up, and a year before Matthews and Marner need new deals, there is no reason not to sign JVR.