The Toronto Maple Leafs seemingly posted an innocuous throwback highlight of a roughly 10-year-old game. The video, as posted on the team’s official X account, seems like the sort of thing teams post during the offseason amid a lack of content.
But could this post have been a sign of predictive programming?
Could it signal a move of something to come?
The highlight in question shows James van Riemsdyk “JVR” taking a feed and scoring on former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Steve Mason. The pass from another former Leaf, Tyler Bozak, evoked memories of a seemingly forgotten Toronto era.
Don't blink pic.twitter.com/5HSD7U6j0X
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 18, 2026
Could the Maple Leafs be interested in bringing back JVR? The veteran forward remains unsigned. He’s coming off a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Detroit Red Wings in which he scored 15 goals in 72 games.
That’s not bad considering he mostly played a bottom-six role. If JVR wanted to accept a deal like that to come back to Toronto, it might not be a terrible idea. However, it would mostly be a sentimental move rather than a practical one.
Maple Leafs don’t really have room for JVR
Let’s assume JVR is willing to sign a similar deal to the one he had in Detroit. The deal wouldn’t bankrupt the Maple Leafs, but it would create a bit of a logjam. The Leafs don’t really have room for him in the lineup, unless they are willing to dump someone like Dakota Joshua.
The thing about moving on from Joshua is the loss of the physical edge in his game. However, the loss of that physicality would be offset by JVR’s scoring touch, or whatever is left of it.
Otherwise, signing JVR to keep him around as a 13th forward doesn’t really make any sense. Ideally, the Maple Leafs would want to give him a chance to actually play. That’s why there might not be any room for JVR in the lineup.
The move, nonetheless, could be a romantic way of helping the 37-year-old come full circle. If JVR is thinking about hanging them up, returning to Toronto for one last season might be a good send-off.
It all depends on whether the organization wants to do something like that. While JVR would certainly be an upgrade over Joshua, there’s work to be done to make room.
Let’s see what happens. John Chayka has proven that he’s got stuff up his sleeve all the time.
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