The last major move by former Leafs GM Brian Burke before he was axed occurred on June 23rd, 2012. Burke sent former first round pick, defenceman Luke Schenn to the Philadelphia Flyers for former first round pick, left wing James van Riemsdyk. Many Leafs fans were relieved that Schenn was gone, as he had become a defensive liability, yet upon van Riemdyk’s arrival, many immediately began to question and doubt his game.

After being selected with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, many questioned whether “JVR” had lived up to expectations while in Philly. Strictly looking at his numbers, they were not very impressive. Upon his full-time debut in 2009-10, he scored a respectable 35 points as a rookie, and followed suit 40 points in 2010-11, while also notching seven goals in the 2011 playoffs. Unfortunately for van Riemsdyk, he then missed much of the 2011-12 season with a broken foot. Did his play in his first three seasons in Philly prove his worth as a #2 overall draft pick? The numbers say no, but overall point totals can be misleading.

In his three years with the Flyers, van Riemsdyk’s average time per game on ice went from 12:57 in 2009-10, to 14:31 in 2010-11, and finally up to 15:10 in 2011-12. He simply was not getting his opportunity to shine, being consistently stuck behind the likes of Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, and Scott Hartnell. On top of that, JVR was getting very limited time on the power play, so it would have been very difficult for van Riemsdyk to really show his true potential as a Flyer.

Kudos should then be given to Brian Burke for realizing van Riemsdyk was a star who needed a change of scenery and the right circumstances to really blossom. Once the lockout ended in January 2013, van Riemsdyk clicked immediately in Toronto. His average ice time increased to 19:12 per game, as he was playing top line minutes alongside Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak, and was also getting a chance to work the power play. This is the area in which JVR is really proving his worth. He is such a big, strong individual, who can not only shield and protect the puck well in the corners/when working a cycle, but can also be a major nuisance around the opposition net on the power play, and it’s shown. He led the Leafs in points with seven in the playoffs last year against Boston, and only 56 games into the 2013-14 season, he has set a career high in goals (22) and points (43), with nine of those goals and 15 of those points coming on the power play, ranking him first in team powerplay goals, and second in team powerplay points.

Not only has van Riemsdyk been tremendously effective working the power play in Toronto, but he is constantly finding himself in the right place at the right time. For the large fellow that he is, he has this ability to drift away from opposing defensemen, and find space on the ice to create a quality scoring opportunity. This has led him to score some very clutch goals for the Leafs, as he is currently tied with Kessel and Mason Raymond for second on the squad in game winning goals.

While his offensive game has been fantastic in Toronto thus far, JVR’s defensive game still has a few question marks. Though he has the size and strength to protect the puck in the offensive zone if it is given to him, at times his ability to use those advantages does not appear in his defensive zone. There sometimes seems to be a lack of defensive physicality in his game, a real desire to dig and fight for the puck in the corner/along the boards.

For the most part though, the van Riemsdyk’s play as a whole would garner a thumbs up from many Leafs fans, and for good reason, as he is blossoming onto a star here in Toronto. Though Luke Schenn has been a serviceable defenseman in Philly, the JVR-for-Schenn trade is looking like a steal of a deal for the Maple Leafs.

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