“Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by
unexpected sparks.”
-- Samuel Johnson
When the Washington Capitals signed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $800,000 contract last October, it was probably a signing of which few fans, even those among the Caps, took notice. And that is a bit odd, given that van Riemsdyk was a six-year NHL veteran who appeared in at least 75 games three times in his career. Then again, van Rimesdyk has flown under the radar in terms of transactions over his entire career. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks in March 2014. He played 158 games over three seasons with the Blackhawks before he was left unprotected for the 2017 expansion draft. The Vegas Golden Knights selected him, but he was traded the following day to the Carolina Hurricanes with a 2018 seventh-round draft pick for a 2017 second round draft pick.
Van Riemsdyk spent three seasons in Carolina, appearing in 206 games and putting up modest numbers (7-31-38, minus-2, averaging 15:47 in ice time per game). While he did appear in 49 of 68 games, he seemed to be banging his head on a ceiling, averaging less than 14 minutes of ice time (seventh of eight defensemen) and losing ice time to Joel Edmundson and Haydn Fleury. When coupled with the contract situation in Carolina, five defensemen signed past the 2019-2020 season and Fleury being an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, van Riemsdyk found himself an unrestricted free agent without a ticket to the 2020-2021 season in Carolina.
He signed a one-year deal with the Caps at a substantial reduction in pay (from $2.3 million per year to $800,000), and his playing time reflected the diminished status. He appeared in only nine of the Caps’ first 45 games, posting one point (a goal) and a minus-3 rating while averaging 15:07 in ice time per game. However, the Caps saw something they liked in him and re-upped him for a two-year/$1.9 million deal in March. It would be almost a month before he saw action again, but he dressed for the final 11 games of the regular season, going 0-2-2. plus-2, averaging 18:41 in ice time per game.
Fearless’ Take… Trevor van Riemsdyk is neither an offensive defenseman (never posting more than five goals or 16 points in a season) nor a physical defenseman (a high of 31 penalty minutes in a single season and 44 hits). As the scouting report at TSN.ca put it, “is the owner of a very good shot from the point, plus the projectable size to survive the National Hockey League game. Is also a fairly quick study and can play either side effectively” with the potential to be a “Solid, versatile and dependable defenseman.” And that would seem to describe van Riemsdyk’s year with the Caps – 20 games, 1-2-3, minus-1, two penalty minutes, 13 credited hits.
Cheerless’ Take… He played in only 20 games, but van Riemsdyk was the only Caps defenseman appearing in at least ten games to finish with a minus on-ice even strength goal differential (minus-1). Only three times in 20 games did he finish with a plus rating.
Odd van Riemsdyk Fact… Trevor van Riemsdyk was the only Capital defenseman to register seven shots in a game this season (May 8th vs. Philadelphia). Since 2005-2006, only seven Caps defensemen have posted at least seven shots in a game at least once.
Odd van Riemsdyk Fact II… It was odd how little impact his performance seemed to have on win-loss results. In nine games before his contract extension, the Caps were 5-3-1; they were 7-3-1 in 11 games after. They were 7-3-1 when he skated at least 18 minutes, 5-3-1 when he skated less than that. They were 5-3-1 when he had two or more blocked shots, 7-3-1 when he had fewer than two.
Odd van Riemsdyk Fact III… Trevor van Riemsdyk recorded more career points with the University of New Hampshire (75) than his brother, forward James van Riemsdyk (74). Okay, he did it in 35 more games.
Game to Remember… January 30, 2021 vs. Boston Bruins. A late January game against the Boston Bruins signaled a number of firsts as a Capital for Trevor van Riemsdyk. There was his getting his first point, his first 20-minute game, his first game with a plus rating. But nothing beats the first goal, especially when it comes in a win. The Caps scored first on a Nicklas Backstrom goal with less than two minutes remaining in the first period. Five minutes into the second period, van Riemsdyk doubled the lead. It was a harmless enough looking shot, but a maze of players between the shooter and the goal made it difficult for goalie Tuukka Rask to pick up the puck off van Riemsdyk’s stick, and the red light was lit…
The Caps went on to beat the Bruins in overtime, 4-3, van Riemsdyk finishing with two hits, two blocked shots, a plus-2 rating, 20:23 in ice time, and that first goal as a Capital on his only shot on goal for the game.
Game to Forget… March 16, 2021 vs. New York Islanders. It is a generally accepted custom that teams dress six defensemen for an NHL game. Sometimes, teams will dress seven defensemen as circumstances dictate. That was the case in mid-March as a the Caps hosted the New York Islanders at Capital One Arena. Van Riemsdyk was sent out for two shifts in the first period totaling 26 seconds in ice time. He took another shift early in the second period that lasted 25 seconds. It would be his last shift of the game. He ended up skating three shifts for 51 seconds and recorded a takeaway in his shortest night of work for the season.
Postseason… Van Riemsdyk did not dress for any of the five games in the opening round loss to Boston.
Looking ahead… Trevor van Riemsdyk has a newly minted contract for two years at $950,000 per season. It was a healthy raise for a depth defenseman who, in quieter times, would not be assured of much ice time. But given the Caps’ situation on defense, where there are several possibilities for losses via the expansion draft (Justin Schultz or Nick Jensen, for example), having a $950,000 insurance policy does not sound like that bad of an idea. And, van Rimesdyk played well enough, even though his numbers overall were modest, that it would not be unreasonable to think he could take on a bigger role, depending on how the roster shakes out over the summer.
In the end…
When the curtain rises on the 2021-2022 season, Trevor van Riemsdyk will be a 30-year old defenseman with almost 400 regular season games on his NHL resume (384). He is not a prospect, nor is he inexperienced. It is unlikely that he would occupy a top-four spot among the defense pairs, but he could serve adequately in a third-pair role if the youngsters the Caps are counting on to take a step forward – Martin Fehervary or Alex Alexeyev prove to be not quite ready for a steady spot with the parent club. Van Rimesdyk played himself into that mix and that discussion with a better than expected finish to the 2020-2021 season.
Grade: B
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