Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses the value of Red Wings free agent signing James van Riemsdyk this morning, noting that the versatile 36-year-old can play “up and down” the lineup as necessary:
The Red Wings were unable to land the top-six forward they were hoping to get this summer. It wouldn’t be surprising to see JVR taking some shifts on the top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
At the same time, seeing him working alongside Marco Kasper and perhaps Patrick Kane in a second-line role could prove effective. He’d also fit in a third-line role. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, van Riemsdyk brings some size to Detroit’s lineup.
At 36, he isn’t going to be the imposing power forward that van Riemsdyk was in his prime.
“I think as you get older in your career, you have kind of your calling cards as a player,” van Riemsdyk said. “And I think, too, you have to find ways to be a bit more versatile and add value in different ways to a team, being able to contribute in different ways. I think I’ve definitely been able to add some different things to my game that can make me be able to play in different spots all over the lineup.”
Continued; Van Riemsdyk is sort of a consolation prize for a team that hasn’t been able to address its need for a top-six scoring winger due to the lack of free agent targets and the high value of the few tradable assets available…
But even at 36, Duff’s right–JvR can provide a versatile presence who can play spot duty on the first line down to a checking role on the fourth line without so much as a blink–or a complaint.
Van Riemsdyk is not the ideal power forward that the Wings were seeking, but he’ll do for now.
