James Van Riemsdyk vs. Max Pacioretty: Did the Maple Leafs make a mistake?

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Chris Gerics
September 16, 2024 (3:14)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs decided to sign Max Pacioretty to a PTO this offseason with the mindset that he will add veteran scoring depth to the bottom of Toronto's lineup.

But there were certainly other options available on the market that would have sufficed: Kevin Labanc; who recently signed a PTO with the Devils, is still only 27 and could have been scooped up for a tryout and add some depth without sacrificing youth. They missed out on Evgeny Kuznetsov, who flocked back to Russia after being unable to find a contract in the NHL; though there's one name they could have grabbed who would have had a long connection to the team, and provide enough to warrant his signing.

James Van Riemsdyk, who Maple Leafs fans will be familiar with, recently signed a PTO with the Columbus Blue Jackets and is looking to bring his veteran leadership and scoring touch to a team desperate to break out in the playoffs. He's still a capable goal scorer, and while he is far and away from his output in the mid-to-late 2010's, he can still put the puck in the net.

He scored 11 goals last season for the Bruins, and is coming off a five season stretch (his second) with the Philadelphia Flyers, where he averaged nearly 20 goals and 40 points in that span.

So did Toronto make a mistake? Choosing a former rival over a familiar face is definitely a move to say the least. Both men have followed quite similar career paths, and even in their later years, put out nearly the same consistency.

Pacioretty has 668 career points and Van Riemsdyk has 629. Pacioretty has more 30+ goal seasons, but Van Riemsdyk has put out more a more consistent string of seasons together. Sure, Pacioretty is aided by the extra goals but they're quite similar. We also have to look at the amount of mileage on both men, as Pacioretty has played 100 less games due to various injuries meanwhile JVR has been a model of consistency and only missed less than 60 games three times in his career as opposed to Pacioretty's seven.

Both men have found some success in the playoffs although Pacioretty has produced more in less games. His 50 points to Van Riemsdyk's 36 isn't a huge gap but it is substantial enough to wonder if this is one of the reasons why Toronto opted to sign him. Both men are 35 years old, and both offer a veteran power forward option, so it remains to be asked: Did Toronto make a mistake?

Personally, it will feel weird to have Pacioretty on the team, given his history playing for Montreal. It will feel weird seeing #67 in Toronto; a number so notorious I'm surprised they haven't retired it out of sheer spite. It will feel weird watching Max Pacioretty alongside Auston Matthews in a mix of old and "new" blood.

Normal is boring. Weird is where it's at. Give him a shot, maybe all we need to fix our playoff wounds is with some help from 'Patches'.