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NHL analyst Remy Mastey of The Hockey News believes the New York Rangers should sign veteran forward James van Riemsdyk.
van Riemsdyk has been a free agent since July 1, and the veteran still being available has been a bit of a surprise. With van Riemsdyk still being a free agent, he may have to sign a professional tryout to try and make an NHL roster.
However, Mastey believes the Rangers should offer van Riemsdyk a PTO and be a middle-six forward and add some depth scoring to the roster.
“While training camp is just a couple of weeks away, there is still one player the Rangers could sign who is a perfect fit for their team. That would be none other than James van Riemsdyk,” Mastey wrote… “At 35-years-old van Riemsdyk still has some game left in the tank. This past season with the Boston Bruins, he recorded 11 goals, 27 assists, and 38 points in 71 games while averaging 13:30 minutes.
“Fans may also forget that it was just two seasons ago when van Riemsdyk had 24 goals for the Philadelphia Flyers. Van Riemsdyk is the perfect player for the Rangers to give a professional tryout to as he looks to remain in the NHL,” Mastey added.
van Riemsdyk has skated in 1011 career games recording 311 goals and 318 assists for 629 points. The veteran forward has a career-high of 36 goals, back in the 2017-18 season, and has scored 30 or more goals twice.
Although van Riemsdyk is no longer a first-line forward, he still is a solid depth forward. With the Bruins last season, van Riemsdyk recorded 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points in 71 games.
Analyst Details Role van Riemsdyk Could Have With The Rangers
If the Rangers do sign van Riemsdyk as Mastey wants, the analyst believes he would be a bottom-six forward.
Along with being a bottom-six forward, van Riemsdyk could chip in with power play time and also move up the lineup if someone struggles.
“If he were to make the team, van Riemsdyk can serve as a reliable bottom-six forward who could increase his role throughout the course of the season. Van Riemsdyk has been a longtime rival of the Rangers, but now is the time to bring him to The Big Apple,” Mastey added.
van Riemsdyk would challenge Will Cuylle for the third-line left-wing spot. It would also make the Rangers that much deeper and that much harder to play against.
Rangers Add Reilly Smith in Quiet Offseason
Following New York being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Florida Panthers, the Rangers had a quiet offseason.
New York traded for Stanley Cup-champion forward Reilly Smith and then signed veteran forward Sam Carrick. It was a quiet offseason for the Rangers, but general manager Chris Drury is happy to acquire Smith.
“We’re very excited to get Reilly. A player we’ve been looking at and talking about for a while,” Drury said on a conference call, according to the New York Post. “Brings a lot of versatility to our lineup, has a winning pedigree having won in Vegas. A proven playoff performer and I think just fits in nicely with our entire group. We just were talking to a lot of different agents and a lot of balls in the air throughout the day, and just felt this was the best move we can make.”
Smith is coming off a season where he recorded 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in 76 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rangers open up their 2024-25 NHL season on the road on October 9 against the Penguins.
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