After spending the 2023-24 season with the Boston Bruins, forward James van Riemsdyk was not brought back by the Original Six club. It took a while for the 35-year-old winger to find a new home after this in free agency this past off-season. However, he eventually landed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets in mid-September, right before the start of training camp.
While it took van Riemsdyk a good amount of time to get signed, he undoubtedly stepped up for the Blue Jackets this season. The former Bruins forward provided the Blue Jackets with great value and secondary offensive production, posting 16 goals and 36 points in 71 games. This included recording two goals and six points in Columbus' final five games.
When noting that van Riemsdyk only averaged 12:24 of ice time per game this season, there is no question that his numbers were solid and that he proved to be a nice piece to the Blue Jackets' roster. This is especially so when noting that he was also a good mentor for the Blue Jackets' young players this season.
After a solid season with the Blue Jackets, van Riemsdyk should generate interest this off-season if he chooses to continue his playing career. The Middleton, New Jersey native showed that he can still produce offense and be a useful top-nine forward at the NHL level in the process.
In his lone season as a Bruin, van Riemsdyk had 11 goals, 27 assists, and a plus-7 rating in 71 games. He also had one goal, five points, and a minus-1 rating in 11 post-season games with the Original Six club.
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