Former Maple Leafs James van Riemsdyk hits rock bottom: Now a PTO candidate
According to a new report, the former member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, James van Riemsdyk, has hit rock bottom, and he's now a PTO candidate.
With the NHL training camps fast approaching, teams that still have holes to fill in their roster will look for cheap deals with players. By signing Professional Try Out deals, teams can get players to come to their training camps to evaluate them, without the long-term commitment that comes with a regular contract. With a 25-game limit, if things don't work out, they won't be stuck with the player for the whole year.
After failing to reach a deal with a team on the free agent market, it looks like a PTO is a possible avenue for the former Maple Leaf, James van Riemsdyk. In fact, it could be his only way back into the NHL.
In a new report from Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now, which explored who could join the Colorado Avalanche on a PTO ahead of the start of training camp, it was suggested that Van Riemsdyk could be a great candidate to join the 2022 Stanley Cup champions.
Rawal talked about how the veteran managed to score 38 points with the Boston Bruins and how the main issue with his game lies in his speed.
In his own words:
Van Riemsdyk, 35, played 1011 games in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He was drafted 2nd in 2007 by the Flyers and since then, scored 311 goals and 318 assists in the regular season, in addition to 36 points, including 21 goals in 82 playoff games.
Source for James van Riemsdyk's statistics: Hockey DB
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Do you think James van Riemsdyk will sign a PTO before the start of the training camp? | ||
| Yes | 310 | 73.1 % |
| No | 114 | 26.9 % |
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