James van Riemsdyk sees drastic change in certain stats after Phil Kessel trade
When Phil Kessel was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins over the summer, one of the questions for the Toronto Maple Leafs was how forward James van Riemsdyk would do without his talented linemate.
The answer through the first 14 games of the post-Kessel era is a good one for the Leafs. Van Riemsdyk has improved dramatically in possession and scoring chance metrics. Per TSN, the Maple Leafs are allowing 23 scoring chances per 60 minutes with van Riemsdyk on the ice this season, a number that is way down from last season's 40 scoring chances against per 60 minutes with van Riemsdyk on the ice. The team generates about 37 scoring per 60 minutes with van Riemsdyk on the ice, about eight more scoring chances per 60 minutes than last season.
All of that means that van Riemsdyk is showing drastic improvement in possession time and defensive play without Kessel. While the causes for the change are varied (as new coach Mike Babcock certainly plays into those numbers as well) the statistics also indicate that losing Kessel does not cost van Riemsdyk substantially in terms of play on the ice.
"Me and Phil were just able to read off each other so it wasn't like a set thing we were ever looking for," van Riemsdyk said to TSN. "We just had that feeling and you played more by feel, whereas this year we're playing with more structure."
The one number that is down for van Riemsdyk is his actual scoring pace. Last season, van Riemsdyk totaled 56 points in 82 games to run at a 0.68 points-per-game pace. This year, he has seven points in 14 games, bringing that pace down to 0.50 points per game. The decrease comes from a lower number of assists, as van Riemsdyk's current goals-per-game pace (0.36) is actually higher than it was last season (0.33).
Van Riemsdyk is playing on a line with Nazem Kadri, who has the lowest current shooting percentage of any player to record a goal this year with one goal on 60 shots. Van Riemsdyk is getting the puck to Kadri; Kadri just isn't putting the puck away.
But scoring slumps do not last forever, and the chances of Kadri keeping up that low percentage throughout the season are slim, meaning van Riemsdyk's statistics should also see a boost soon.
So while this season marks the first time in his Toronto career that van Riemsdyk is playing without Kessel, it does not look like losing Kessel will be van Riemsdyk's kryptonite.
(h/t TSN)
