The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the few bona fide sellers ahead of next week's NHL trade deadline. The Leafs' 2015-16 NHL season is less about winning at this point - let's face it, it never really was about winning - and more about clearing out cap space by jettisoning as many aging veteran players as possible at the same time as the franchise does its best to undertake the behemoth effort of transitioning to the on and off-ice principles of head coach Mike Babcock. With the focus already on 2016-17 and beyond, it makes sense then that a recent setback suffered by star power forward James van Riemsdyk will likely bring his 2015-16 to a close.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos tweeted on Thursday that JVR had suffered a "rehab setback," and that it probably will keep him shelved until next season. The good news is it doesn't sound like a serious issue, with Kypreos suggesting that van Riemsdyk is still expected to make a "100 percent full recovery."
JVR, a former first-round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers acquired by the Leafs in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn - boy, what a trade that turned out to be - went down earlier this season with a foot injury. Prior to the injury, JVR had collected 14 goals and 29 points in 40 games, putting him on pace to finish with close to 30 goals and 60 points, totals very much in line with his two most recent seasons.
Really, even if van Riemsdyk had been healthy enough to return this year, there seemed little reason to re-insert him into the Leafs lineup. This season is about the aforementioned selloff, as well as competing for the first pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. There's little JVR could do with the last few weeks of the season other than potentially re-injure himself.
Now he, and the rest of the Leafs who make it through the deadline and offseason, can look forward to next year and new era of hockey in Toronto.
