The Columbus Blue Jackets signed James van Riemsdyk late in the offseason, as teams were gearing up for training camp and the preseason rookie tournaments league-wide were underway. Although van Riemsdyk wasn’t a top player for the Blue Jackets this season, he quietly lived up to expectations and performed well offensively. At 35 years of age, he was brought in to be a veteran presence in a locker room that desperately needed it. While the majority of the Blue Jackets’ leadership group missed considerable time this season, van Riemsdyk was a regular part of the lineup and contributed both on and off the ice. Van Riemsdyk’s Offensive Production Over the course of the season, van Riemsdyk’s ice time was the lowest of his career. Playing just 12:24 per game, he was still able to put up the same offensive numbers as he had with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers in the past couple of seasons. James van Riemsdyk, Columbus Blue Jackets (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers) Despite occasionally being a healthy scratch and playing limited ice time when he was in the lineup, van Riemsdyk scored 16 goals for the Blue Jackets and had 36 points in 71 games. For comparison, last season he had 38 points in 71 games for the Bruins, while averaging a little over a minute more of ice time per game. While the defensive side of his game wasn’t phenomenal, which is likely what led to him getting sat for four games by head coach Dean Evason over the past month, he’s been a net positive for the Blue Jackets. Unsurprisingly, the Blue Jackets forward wasn’t happy with the decision to be scratched earlier this month, telling The Athletic, “Over the course of this season, I think I’ve performed fairly well and done the things I want to be doing. I think I bring value when I’m in there,” (from ‘Veteran James van Riemsdyk feels the squeeze of Blue Jackets’ roster glut,’ The Athletic, April 1, 2025). Related: Blue Jackets’ Fantilli Took Leaps Forward in 2024-25 Add in the fact that he was only taking up $900k of the salary cap, and it’s hard to argue that he didn’t bring value to the Blue Jackets organization. All things considered, he was an underrated addition by general manager Don Waddell. An Important Leader Evason also praised van Riemsdyk, telling Daily Faceoff, “He’s provided us with offense, but he’s also provided us with leadership and a veteran presence.” The latter half of which was key, with Boone Jenner and Erik Gudbranson missing a considerable amount of time during a turbulent season for the organization. One example of van Riemsdyk’s leadership was during the holidays. When Thanksgiving came around, he hosted many of the Blue Jackets. James van Riemsdyk is hosting around 30 people including families for a Thanksgiving get together. It’s a great chance for those that have family far away to be together. #CBJ — Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) November 28, 2024 While van Riemsdyk’s time as a member of the Blue Jackets has likely come to an end, considering he’s an unrestricted free agent this coming summer, he was a valuable addition and helped the organization exceed expectations. Considering van Riemsdyk made it clear he’s open to returning to Columbus, if Waddell did opt to bring him back for another season, he would likely continue to be a valuable piece. With that being said, whether he’ll be in the NHL at all next season remains to be seen, as age has started to catch up with him. Considering the Blue Jackets didn’t sign him until right before the start of training camp, there’s always a chance he enters next season without a contract.