Toronto winger James van Riemsdyk is one of several prominent players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the upcoming season. He currently finds himself on one of the team-friendlier deals around with a cap hit of $4.25MM. According to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, the 28-year-old is looking for a big raise on his next contract with the current asking price checking in at around $6MM.
Although he has never led the Maple Leafs in scoring in any of the five seasons he has been there, he quietly has been one of the more productive scorers in the NHL during that span. Since the 2012-13 season, he ranks eighth league-wide in goals by a left winger with 118. He’s also coming off of a career year with 29 goals and 33 assists. That level of production and consistency is certain to be rewarded on the open market next summer.
McGran notes that given Toronto’s depth up front and the lesser amount they have on the back end, a player like van Riemsdyk may be their best trade chip to use which would lower the likelihood of a possible extension.
Although Toronto has only $47MM committed for 2018-19 (and $5.3MM of that is for Nathan Horton who will be on LTIR that season as well), they have a lot of notable contracts on the horizon which could impact things. Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov are also eligible for unrestricted free agency and will be seeking raises while William Nylander is a restricted free agent. They will also likely be facing a significant bonus overage penalty from the upcoming season and extension talks can open up for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner next summer.
For what it’s worth, van Riemsdyk isn’t too worried about entering the final year of his deal:
“That’s stuff you can’t worry about as a player. It’s out of your control. I just want to go out there, play, and be a productive member of the team, and hopefully the rest of it figures itself out.”
Based on his consistent production, van Riemsdyk should be able to sign a deal that’s at least close to that asking price. The question becomes, will it be with Toronto or another team?
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