James Van Riemsdyk

[Mattavarner]

Havent noticed a lot of chatter about him, but is anyone impressed that he is currently leading our team in goals ahead of kessel and is on pace for career highs in every category? His defensive game needs work but he used to kill penalties too, so what happened to him defensively?

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[The Winter Soldier]

He's become nothing more than a goals and assists guy. When he is not on the scoresheet, he is basically invisible.

He is one of those players that reading box scores does not tell how brutal he has been this year. 20 goals and he is a disappointment is all one needs to know.

It is a bit unfair, Kessel takes a tonne of heat, JVR rides under it.

 

[skacore]

JVR doesn't deserve the same kind of ridicule as Kessel because he's almost half the cap hit that Kessel has. Unfortunately that's the reality of how things work in a cap era. Hey if Clarkson was making 600k we'd be thrilled with his 10 goals.

JVR is doing what he should be. He isn't completely dominating but he's putting up big point totals, putting the puck in the net and playing somewhat physical

 

[The Winter Soldier]

JVR doesn't deserve the same kind of ridicule as Kessel because he's almost half the cap hit that Kessel has. Unfortunately that's the reality of how things work in a cap era. Hey if Clarkson was making 600k we'd be thrilled with his 10 goals.

JVR is doing what he should be. He isn't completely dominating but he's putting up big point totals, putting the puck in the net and playing somewhat physical

I would agree there, the salary is the main difference. However, when you look at the skill set and the actual effort shown by JVR. You know he can be more. And this is what is frustrating.

He actually takes the least amount of flak of the core players, and really I see him just as guilty if not more than others that 20 goals obscures.

 

[Kingstonian84*]

Havent noticed a lot of chatter about him, but is anyone impressed that he is currently leading our team in goals ahead of kessel and is on pace for career highs in every category? His defensive game needs work but he used to kill penalties too, so what happened to him defensively?

JVR has ALL the tools to be a dominant elite player in the NHL, yes I said it! He has the size, speed, strong and accurate shot, he drives the net, he can create space for his linemates with his reach and strength. That being said, he has an incredibly bad attidude out there and is more content to float out there and ride on the coat-tails of guys like Kessel, I have yet to see JVR actuallyburst out and take over a game on his own merit.

As for defense? He's more content to cheat in his own end and go on the attack, he only cares about scoring... everything else not so much. If he could ever grow up and stop being so selfish and learn to actually use his tools to his advanage he and the the Leafs would be that much better for it.

The only reason he isn't getting any heat is because of his cap friendly salary of4.25M,ifhe was making more then that I gurantee you he hears it from the fans and media but becaus eo gf that he gets a pass which isn't rig right or fair.

 

[Stephen]

A cheating JVR is still able to win a puck battle, shield the puck along the boards and otherwise participate in many of the physical aspects that Kessel simply opts out of. When they're producing at a similar rate, I'd much rather have JVR.

 

[noto0661]

Havent noticed a lot of chatter about him, but is anyone impressed that he is currently leading our team in goals ahead of kessel and is on pace for career highs in every category? His defensive game needs work but he used to kill penalties too, so what happened to him defensively?

He, like the rest of the team, worked a lot harder in the first 20-30 games of the year and looked pretty impressive.

Honestly, we've been looking for a centre since Sundin left. I'd force him to play Centre. He's big, he's strong on the puck, he's good in front of the net, and he CAN play smart in our zone when he wants to.

I just think he's wasted at LW. I checked his Faceoff%, it's 46.2%. Not great but that with little to no practice. Kadri's is 46.8% so if Naz can play C then why not JVR?

Top 3 Centre's are(in no particular order): 1)JVR, 2)Kadri, 3)Bozak (who's a good#3 C)
Spread Ice-time evenly. I don't remember the last time we were 3 strong down the middle. Wings will get some help when Lupul and Komo come off the IR, until then - work with what we got.

At this point, what the heck do we have to lose?

 

[eddieO]

My favorite player. He gets a lot of heat because people expect too much out of him. He's outperforming his contract and he's young and controlled.

I think he puts it all together and breaks out soon.

 

[Tak7]

I don't actually think he's been very good this season.

Sure, defensively we all know how terrible he's been, but lots of nights he looks like he's just lazily moving around out there. I don't think he's been anywhere near as engaged, impactful, or effective as he was last season.

And yet he's got 41 points, which really makes you wonder where he would be if he was fully engaged.

 

[Kingstonian84*]

A cheating JVR is still able to win a puck battle, shield the puck along the boards and otherwise participate in many of the physical aspects that Kessel simply opts out of. When they're producing at a similar rate, I'd much rather have JVR.

I think anyone competes harder then Kessel does, it really shouldnt be a complement to JVR but a lashing insult to Kessel's cowardice.

JVR shouldn't just be "competing" for puck battles he should be destorying guys in the corners, he has the size and strength to do so, he just elects 99% of the time not to use it to his advantage.

FTR I will give Kessel this, he does have it in him too to battle along the walls but he only does that when hes' truly PO'd otherwise he avoids contact like the plague. Last night was a rarity, Kessel was actually engaging guys on the wall at both ends of the ice last night, he even made at least 1-2 hits that I saw, for Kessel that is saying something lol.

Agreed if it comes down to a choice of JVR or Kessel, I take JVR everytime because he ha sa lot more tools to work with then Kessel does IMO.

 

[Kingstonian84*]

I don't actually think he's been very good this season.

Sure, defensively we all know how terrible he's been, but lots of nights he looks like he's just lazily moving around out there. I don't think he's been anywhere near as engaged, impactful, or effective as he was last season.

And yet he's got 41 points, which really makes you wonder where he would be if he was fully engaged.

You are 100% correct! Every timI see JVR out there this season he's just floating, no effort whatsoever more content to just let Kessel or whoever do the work.. Yes he has 41 pints but how many of them are from him just planting himself in front of the net?

JVR could be every bit as skilled as a guy like Ovi or even Stammer, yes I said that lol. If he would ever put the effort in, that boy could easily dominate games on his own... but like we both have said he's just lazy out there most of the time.

 

[King Leaf]

JvR is tough to talk about. On one hand he rarely shows any intensity, floats a lot, and is in no way a leader. On the other hand he has the talent and skill and size to totally dominate. The good thing, is that I think a lot of his problems can be fixed with the right coach and a new leadership team in the locker room.

At one point the fear was that he would bust, but I think that isn't a worry anymore. He's 25 and looks like he can consistently hit 25 goals and 60 points fairly consistently. I think if someone could light a fire under him he could turn into a PPG power forward that brings way more than scoring to the table. The guy has the tools to really intimidate and overwhelm the opposition if he started to work harder.

 

[Rayzorexe]

Random Thought: Is there any similarity to Ponikarovsky in JVR?

 

[Antropovsky]

Random Thought: Is there any similarity to Ponikarovsky in JVR?

Other than size... no.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

I wonder what JVR would look like with a center like Kopitar or Backes, guys that physically dominate and set the tone for their line. As it stands JVR will never get physically involved, the fact that he's 6'3 is irrelevant, he may as well be 5'8 the way he floats around.

Either way, 30 goals for his contract is not too shabby...once that contract is up he'll need to go.

 

[TankNationTillDeath]

Philly knew what they were getting rid of with JVR, just like Boston knew what they were getting rid of in Kessel.. and it is the same thing. A heartless, non-competitive, emotionless, young american with attitude problems.

 

[Rayzorexe]

Because of his contract, age, and potential, he's one of the most valuable assets we can trade.

We can keep him if management thinks he's part of the solution but other than that, we can expect a 1st rounder and a mid tier prospect from him.

 

[King85Kong]

Philly knew what they were getting rid of with JVR, just like Boston knew what they were getting rid of in Boston.. and it is the same thing. A heartless, non-competitive, emotionless, young american with attitude problems.

Philly didn't know what they were getting.

 

[TankNationTillDeath]

Philly didn't know what they were getting.

They did know, but it shows how low they thought of JVR at that time.. remember, he was avging around 14 mins and picking up a 3rd pairing stay at home d-man, twas a fair trade. For what JVR puts up in points, he lacks in defensive play just as much as Kessel, and, he is absolutely going to be a prolific negative player with zero heart and leadership. Philly won the trade until we dupe over the next team who wants him.

 

[King85Kong]

They did know, but it shows how low they thought of JVR at that time.. remember, he was avging around 14 mins and picking up a 3rd pairing stay at home d-man, twas a fair trade. For what JVR puts up in points, he lacks in defensive play just as much as Kessel, and, he is absolutely going to be a prolific negative player with zero heart and leadership. Philly won the trade until we dupe over the next team who wants him.

Complete nonsense. Only said because he plays on a losing team. Put him on a winning team and he becomes a leader with heart.
You can't be serious, Philly won the deal? We got a 25 year old player who in his last three seasons has put up 32/48, 61/80, and 41/48 (so far). That for a defenseman that struggles to stay in the lineup. Take a look around the league to see how much 30 goal scores go for. He is a bargain at his contract. He is not great defensively, but some of those problems can be attributed to playing with two other weak defensive players. 30 goal score < 7th defenseman

 

[Tak7]

They did know, but it shows how low they thought of JVR at that time.. remember, he was avging around 14 mins and picking up a 3rd pairing stay at home d-man, twas a fair trade. For what JVR puts up in points, he lacks in defensive play just as much as Kessel, and, he is absolutely going to be a prolific negative player with zero heart and leadership. Philly won the trade until we dupe over the next team who wants him.

Still amazes me that in 2015, we have Leafs fans who use leadership and heart as a barometer for how good a player is. Jesus, have you not been paying attention to anything at any point between 2008 and present day?

You judge a player on skill and upside. JvR has both. He's also on a decent contract, playing on the 1st line of an NHL team.

Luke Schenn? Yeah.

 

[Tak7]

You are 100% correct! Every timI see JVR out there this season he's just floating, no effort whatsoever more content to just let Kessel or whoever do the work.. Yes he has 41 pints but how many of them are from him just planting himself in front of the net?

JVR could be every bit as skilled as a guy like Ovi or even Stammer, yes I said that lol. If he would ever put the effort in, that boy could easily dominate games on his own... but like we both have said he's just lazy out there most of the time.

I think sometimes with bigger players, they often come across as being lazy even when they aren't.

But man, he just disappears on so many nights. And that damn mouth guard thing frustrates me as well - I think Ray Ferrero said earlier this week that it often feels that he's just lollygagging around the house. It's hard to argue with him.

And yet, like I said in my original post, he's still put up 41 points.

I wouldn't move him at all, but it really does make you wonder just where he could be if he was more engaged on a regular basis.

He's still young, and it could be something as simple as him trying to figure out how to battle consistency, but it's going to be really interesting to see what happens with him over the next 2 seasons

 

[Banic]

They did know, but it shows how low they thought of JVR at that time.. remember, he was avging around 14 mins and picking up a 3rd pairing stay at home d-man, twas a fair trade. For what JVR puts up in points, he lacks in defensive play just as much as Kessel, and, he is absolutely going to be a prolific negative player with zero heart and leadership. Philly won the trade until we dupe over the next team who wants him.

His ppg is that of at least top 6 that many teams would covet. He is still young, with size and skill. He can be molded. You clearly have an agenda and no clue what you're talking about.

 

[TankNationTillDeath]

JVR right now is a very large part of the problem, he's one of the league's absolute most atrocious defensive forwards playing today. His contract makes him relatively attractive, and he will be second liner on a playoff team. It's not like we are going to pick up a 5th overall for him, so, we are still trying to clean up from a brutal draft and development system within the Leafs organization.

 

[HellasLEAF]

He's become nothing more than a goals and assists guy. When he is not on the scoresheet, he is basically invisible.

He is one of those players that reading box scores does not tell how brutal he has been this year. 20 goals and he is a disappointment is all one needs to know.

It is a bit unfair, Kessel takes a tonne of heat, JVR rides under it.

+1

We don't pick on JVR because he's a big forward. Leaf Nation always has a soft spot for big men that can score.