Speculation: Trevor van Riemsdyk (Signs with Chicago)

[McMatthews]

I would be super happy if we could sign Trevor van Riemsdyk in the upcoming weeks.

We are at 53 contracts though Matt Finn, Connor Brown and Frederik Gauthier don't count since they're in the minors and have never played professional hockey.

So we're sitting at the league maximum of 50 contracts until the end of the season.

I wonder if he'd be willing to sign a try-out contract with the Marlies and waits until the summer for a NHL contract. Either that or Nonis better have something up his sleeve. The only other way I can see us being able to sign van Riemsdyk is if his contract doesn't kick in until next season since he suffered a broken leg in January and may not be able to play with the Marlies until the autumn. Trevor has attended either developmental camp or pro camp with the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators. It looks like the Flyers are the most familiar with him, going back to when James was still with their organization.

The selling point from the Maple Leafs should be that he'd be joining an up-and-coming team that is in need of a big, two-way, right handed defenceman with skill. The thought of living in Toronto while playing with the Marlies could be beneficial for his development since he'd be close to his big brother. Another selling point is Tyler Bozak and the success he had when leaving the NCAA for the NHL. Not too many NCAA free agents turn into impactful NHL players and Bozak is one of the very few in recent years to make it as a top 6 forward. Matt Read is another one with the Flyers.

I really hope we manage to convince Trevor and his father (Frans) to have him join big brother James in Toronto.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/104605/carey-morrison-among-top-available-ncaa-free-agents/

Trevor van Riemsdyk, D
Junior, University of New Hampshire (Hockey East)

After a stellar, All-American sophomore campaign last year, Trevor van Riemsdyk has built on that success this season. He is once again one of the most coveted collegiate free agents available. However, it is unclear just how hard NHL teams will pursue van Riemsdyk at the end of the season or if he’ll actually turn pro following a horrific ankle injury he suffered on January 18th versus Union College that has since kept him out of New Hampshire’s lineup.

Despite missing the Wildcats’ last 10 games, van Riemsdyk still ranks among the team’s top scorers. In 26 games to date, he has posted 23 points (four goals, 19 assists). His 23 points currently tie him for second among New Hampshire’s defensemen. Van Riemsdyk, who logs upwards of 20-25 minutes per game, is also one of the NCAA’s least penalized rearguards, having racked up just 10 penalty minutes so far.

Van Riemsdyk’s superb combination of hockey sense, vision, skating and hands have made him one of the NCAA’s top offensive defensemen. But what has scouts taking particular notice this season is how van Riemsdyk has taken his game to the next level, becoming a more complete defenseman. This has been especially evident in his defensive zone play and in using his strengthened 6’2â€, 185-pound frame more effectively at both ends of the ice. Van Riemsdyk has shown marked improvement in areas such as separating players from pucks and limiting time and space. Van Riemsdyk is also playing the body more often and with greater effectiveness. What makes all of this even more impressive is the fact that it hasn’t taken away from his excellent offensive contributions.

He's #6 for University of New Hampshire:

Click to read more...

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Yeah I'm hoping the JVR connection lands us TVR.

 

[Swervin81]

TVR would be a nice addition, so long as he doesn't come out as yet another Matt Gilroy.

 

[Drew311]

Can't the just release plugs like Abney and Lasch midseason if they really want to sign a couple of these FA's?

 

[I Am The Stig]

Isn't he coming off a pretty bad injury?

 

[KuleminFan41]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

what is there to lose?

 

[LeafOfBread]

Would be a nice sign. If he has any of his brother's hockey sense or skating ability he can be a valuable addition. Hopefully that injury isn't too serious though and doesn't affect his skating long term.

TVR would be a nice addition, so long as he doesn't come out as yet another Matt Gilroy.

Matt Gilroy was 25 when he signed with the Rangers, Trevor turned 22 last summer.

 

[McMatthews]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

That's like never approaching a girl for the rest of your life because you got turned down a few times.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

You either get the and find success with them or you don't. If we took tat attitude oak isn't with us right now

 

[Zonk]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

You left out Bozak.

It is like finding four wallets. Three of them have no money in them, but one of them has $1,000. I guess you could argue that the laws of probability say that you are usually wasting your time picking up a lost wallet.

 

[Leafs Forever]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

what is there to lose?

Pretty much this. The only thing they take up is a contract slot. Sure, they're more likely to fail than succeed, but there's nothing to lose, and you never know when you might end up with a Bozak.

 

[LeafOfBread]

Also here is a link for people wondering about his injury (video included). The camera view in the video makes it hard to see, but it looks pretty bad. Sucks too because you could see how good of a skater he was leading that rush.

http://unhhockeyblog.blogspot.ca/2014/01/unh-all-american-trevor-van-riemsdyk.html

Imo if Nonis is truly interested, I think it will come down to either us or maybe the Rangers if they're after him. I'm pretty sure the Rangers are the van Riemsdyk family's favourite team.

 

[Milan90]

Will we ever learn? With the likes of Irwin,Hanson ,and Gysbers having failed miserably you'd think they'd be more cautious but they seem to always be in the mix for these college free agents.

We got Bozak with this method I believe.

 

[gamer1035]

NO MORE COLLEGE FREE AGENTS PLEASE, ITS NOT WORTH THE CONTRACT SPOT THEY TAKE UP (I'm serious). They are useless.

I'm willing to make the exception when there is an insanely hyped up college FA available. People seem to forget the only college FA thats worked out is Bozak and he was insanely hyped coming in. No more college FA's unless they are hyped like Bozak was (even then, Bozak wasn't that great till now).

 

[LeafOfBread]

NO MORE COLLEGE FREE AGENTS PLEASE, ITS NOT WORTH THE CONTRACT SPOT THEY TAKE UP (I'm serious). They are useless.

I'm willing to make the exception when there is an insanely hyped up college FA available. People seem to forget the only college FA thats worked out is Bozak and he was insanely hyped coming in. No more college FA's unless they are hyped like Bozak was (even then, Bozak wasn't that great till now).

Where else are we going to use the contract spot? More AHL scrubs?

It makes no difference really.

People always worry so much about the cap and this contract business yet it never actually causes huge damage that can't be easily fixed.

Besides, other teams have done alright too. Look at how well DeKeyser is playing for Detroit, the guy is a stud for them.

 

[Milan90]

NO MORE COLLEGE FREE AGENTS PLEASE, ITS NOT WORTH THE CONTRACT SPOT THEY TAKE UP (I'm serious). They are useless.

I'm willing to make the exception when there is an insanely hyped up college FA available. People seem to forget the only college FA thats worked out is Bozak and he was insanely hyped coming in. No more college FA's unless they are hyped like Bozak was (even then, Bozak wasn't that great till now).

Guys like Danny DeKeyser look pretty solid too. Ultimately the draft is as much of a crap shoot as college free agency is.

This is akin to making a "don't draft anymore! I can't handle all the busts!" post.

 

[gamer1035]

Where else are we going to use the contract spot? More AHL scrubs?

It makes no difference really.

People always worry so much about the cap and this contract business yet it never actually causes huge damage that can't be easily fixed.

Besides, other teams have done alright too. Look at how well DeKeyser is playing for Detroit, the guy is a stud for them.

I said sign the insanely hyped college FA's. DeKeyser was insanely hyped and everyone wanted him.

 

[WhatASaveDave]

The mostly sought after college free agents usually tend to become pretty good American League Players. I'm all for signing these players as long as we don't rush them into the NHL. Let them dominate a year or two in the American League and then see if they are ready for the NHL

 

[LeafOfBread]

I said sign the insanely hyped college FA's. DeKeyser was insanely hyped and everyone wanted him.

Matt Read didn't receive nearly as much as hype as either of these guys and he turned out pretty damn good.

 

[gamer1035]

Matt Read didn't receive nearly as much as hype as either of these guys and he turned out pretty damn good.

if matt read wasn't insanely hyped how did he get the contract that he did (as a college FA)

 

[King85Kong]

Why not roll the dice and spend the money to sign some free college players. If you never try, you'll never win. And if they end up sucking, we just release them. Win-win situation.

 

[ULF_55]

Go all in on the best and for family ask Bodie.

 

[Pi]

if matt read wasn't insanely hyped how did he get the contract that he did (as a college FA)

Great scouting by Philly. Everyone laughed at homer when he gave him that contract...there is even a famous thread mocking it.

 

[LeafOfBread]

if matt read wasn't insanely hyped how did he get the contract that he did (as a college FA)

Those types of contracts are not unusual for college FAs that have a bit of interest around them. When news about Read first broke, NHL insiders specifically stated that Read was likely to be signed by a big market team that could bury his contract if needed, and this was before the new CBA so all of his salary could've been waived off at that time. These guys get that much in hopes that they can at least develop in the AHL and make a decent impact eventually in the NHL if not right away.

Still, the level of hype around Read was a lot less than Bozak or DeKeyser. Bozak had 25 teams after him and Dreger was talking about him almost every day. DeKeyser had multiple suitors last year as well and was getting significant press.

Read in comparison had even received an invite to the Minnesota Wild prospect camp the summer before but they didn't sign him because they were concerned about his age (he was 25 at the time).