James van Riemsdyk and the Leafs reportedly had mutual interest in a reunion before they opted to go with Max Pacioretty on a PTO.
That is what TSN’s Chris Johnston reported during the most recent episode of The Chris Johnston Show. He noted that while the Leafs may decide to circle back in the event of injuries at training camp, it is more likely that the ship has sailed on JVR donning the Blue and White once again.
“He was certainly interested in coming back to Toronto,” Johnston said. “I think the Leafs were at least open to the possibility because of what I said: They’ve been looking to address their left-wing option. But they had Pacioretty rated or ranked ahead of JVR, and so I think that that ship has now sailed. Who knows, injuries as we say: you spend the whole summer planning what the team might look like, and then two days into training camp, something that could happen that changes the winds. But certainly, I think that there was some mutual interest between JVR and the Leafs, and they ended up getting Max Pacioretty instead. I just don’t see room for both of those players in their lineup, where they’re at in their careers, and all that right now.”
It is interesting to see that both van Riemsdyk and the Leafs had some level of interest in reuniting, especially because some speculation emerged about that possibility this offseason. After all, JVR would know what to expect in coming to Toronto since he spent six seasons there and he, by all accounts, has cherished his time with the Leafs.
Beyond familiarity with the organization, he was regarded as one of the top free agents left after the initial flurry of action of free agent frenzy took place. Given there was a clear need at left wing towards the end of the summer, it certainly would have made sense if the Leafs opted to go with van Riemsdyk instead of Pacioretty.
After all, he was coming off a productive season with the Bruins, where he finished in the top in team scoring with 38 points (11 goals and 27 assists), which was two shy of the ninth 40+ point campaign of his career. JVR went on to rank tied for sixth on Boston in playoff scoring with five points (a goal and four assists) in 11 postseason games.
While the Leafs can certainly try again at bringing back van Riemsdyk in the event some injuries up front force them to bring in an extra body or two, it is unlikely that this will occur given they chose Pacioretty and both are at similar points in their career. One has to wonder if Toronto made the right choice now that it is public knowledge they had another quality option to consider, but we will never know because JVR appears destined to head elsewhere in the league for this year.
At the very least, it is interesting to know that the Leafs were open to the idea of bringing van Riemsdyk home.
