James van Riemsdyk: an option to replace Rafaël Harvey-Pinard with the Habs

Yesterday morning, we learned that Rafaël Harvey-Pinard had to undergo surgery. The striker, who underwent surgery on his leg, will miss the next four months of activity.

As long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, we could see him back somewhere at the end of November.

The question now is who will “replace” RHP. We’re sure this greatly increases the chances of Joshua Roy and Alex Barré-Boulet making the club, but they’ll still have to prove it at camp.

Yesterday, colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois also mentioned Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck and Emil Heineman as players who suddenly have a spot to fill. That said, unless they have a big camp, we’re talking about guys who would ideally be in the AHL this season.

That’s why, with that in mind, signing a veteran as an insurance policy isn’t crazy… and Marc-Olivier Beaudoin raised the idea of James van Riemsdyk coming to town.

You’d think the 35-year-old veteran wouldn’t sign a high-priced contract, and last year he was quite productive with 11 goals and 38 points for the Bruins.

I don’t see him playing a top-6 role, considering his age and the fact that the Habs have other forwards who deserve that sixth top-6 spot, but we’re talking about a guy who could play on a support unit… and, in a worst-case scenario, help out on the top two threes.

At the very least, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to offer him an invitation to training camp to fight for a spot with the likes of Pezzetta, Barré-Boulet and others. Still, he’d have to be willing to accept such an offer (at 35, the American might not want to move his family either), but for the Habs, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Considering that the Habs’ forward prospects aren’t necessarily ready to graduate yet (compared to those on the blue line, for example), JVR could really help out early in the season. And if he does well in the first few weeks of the season, he’ll become a player the club can trade, especially if they want to graduate a player who’s off to a great start in Laval.

It’s an idea to keep an eye on, then, but if the Habs want a veteran to help out their forward group, van Riemsdyk is a nice potential low-cost target. I wonder if that’s an option Kent Hughes is considering right now.