Columbus Blue Jackets sign 1000-game NHL veteran as 2024-25 season approaches

The Blue Jackets have had arguably the most trials and tribulations of any current NHL team. From the personal nature of issues held with now Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine, to the recent and horrific loss of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother to a drunk driver, Columbus has needed a massive change to overcome diversity and rise in the ranks from one of the NHL bottom-feeding teams.

While there are some issues that the team may never overcome on a spiritual level, they can fix problems in their roster to give them a better chance at becoming a potential player in future Stanley Cup Playoffs. One of their latest moves to do so included signing on a 1000+ game veteran. In a surprising announcement from NHL Insider Chris Johnston, the Columbus Blue Jackets decided to sign recent Boston Bruins forward James van Riemsdyk. This is a one-year deal worth $900k.

In his 15-year NHL career, James van Riemsdyk has earned 629 points with 311 goals and 318 assists in 1011 games across the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and most recently, the Boston Bruins. In his last season, the 35-year-old forward posted 11 goals and 38 total points. in 71 regular season games, proving that at his age, he can still be a valuable winger for roster depth. Additionally, the veteran forward has played eight postseasons, with 82 games in total. This should be a great deal of history to help the younger players build up the type of experience necessary to make the Blue Jackets a viable team in the playoffs.With Columbus starting their regular season on Thursday, October 10th against the Minnesota Wild, hopefully, James van Riemsdyk can provide enough early depth to the team to help the team surpass all expectations.

Source: Chris Johnston
Chris Johnston JVR announcement