James van Riemsdyk has been a bright spot for the Bruins early on
In an offseason full of change, one of the pieces the Boston Bruins brought in was James van Riemsdyk. The former first-round pick was signed to a one-year deal in July after 12 scoring goals in 61 games for the Flyers last season. He has made a good first impression and has been a critical piece to Boston’s success through the first two weeks of the 2023-2024 campaign.
As the Bruins have gotten off to a 3-0 start, van Riemsdyk has been a goals machine. He has three goals in three games, tied for the second most on the team, trailing only David Pastrnak, who has four. However, that is not the only way the New Jersey native is making an impact.
Additionally, van Riemsdyk has proven that he can be relied on in clutch situations. He already has two game-winning goals, which doubles his total from last season. That has been key for a Bruins offense that has had to rely on van Riemsdyk and Pastrnak so far. While that will change as the season progresses, van Riemsdyk has stepped up when needed.
Due to his hot start, van Riemsdyk is playing with a lot of confidence every time he takes the ice and is already showing great chemistry with his new teammates including Charlie Coyle.
"I thought we had some good chemistry. I thought we had some good zone time, some good shifts. So, I thought it was a good start," said van Riemsdyk following the Bruins win on Thursday. "[Coyle's] definitely a horse in the offensive zone with the puck like that. Draws the extra guy to him, so there's lots of open ice out there and that's kind of what happened on the goal.
While van Riemsdyk is not expected to lead the Bruins offense, he has shown that his career is far from over. Three games is a small sample size, but the talented winger has made an immediate impact and is slowly becoming a fan favorite in Boston.
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