The Detroit Red Wings are getting even more than they expected when they signed veteran forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1 million contract on July 1. Through 36 games played, van Riemsdyk has recorded 11 goals and six assists, good for the eighth most points amongst all Red Wings skaters. Since the calendar flipped to 2026, van Riemsdyk has caught fire, totalling two goals and four assists in four games, including a three-point night in a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
After two sluggish performances to begin the new year, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan opted to switch up the line combinations. The new look lineup separated Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond in an attempt to spark some offense. The move put van Riemsdyk with J.T. Compher and Raymond, in the hope of getting Raymond going after the 23-year-old had failed to record an even-strength goal since Nov. 29.
“I don’t think Razor has an even strength goal since November, which is a long time now,” McLellan said prior to the game against the Senators. “They’ve got to find their games, and maybe separating them for a bit will help them.”
The Lineup change has paid off instantly
In two games since the line changes, Raymond has recorded two even-strength goals and an assist, Compher has recorded one goal and an assist, and van Riemsdyk has five points. The production of depth scoring could be the key factor in Detroit finding its way to the playoffs in a crowded Eastern Conference.
In van Riemsdyk’s past five seasons, the 36-year-old has averaged 68 games played and has posted point totals of 43, 38, 29, 38, 36, truly being a model of consistency in the National Hockey League. The former second overall selection in 2007 is on pace for another season in the 30–40-point range, giving the team and fans the production Steve Yzerman hoped for when the general manager signed the free agent.
“van Riemsdyk is a bigger body who scored 19 goals last year and 18 or 19 in each of the last couple seasons,” Yzerman said. “He gives us a lot of flexibility up and down the lineup. If you check his usage in Columbus, that’s exactly what he did, he played on the first line at times and moved up and down. He’s also a useful guy on the power play.”
The power play is where van Riemsdyk has looked his best with the Red Wings, totaling six of his 17 points, providing a net-front presence similar to that of former Red Wing Tomas Holmström, who spent his entire 15-year career with the Red Wings, accumulating 229 of the forward’s career 530 points on the power play.
The role of net-front is something van Riemsdyk has experience with, and it was showcased against Ottawa with a pass to Larkin for a wide-open net goal, giving the Red Wings a 2-0 lead at the time.
“I’ve been playing that role on the power play for pretty much my whole career in front of the net,” van Riemsdyk said. “You see different bounces of rebounds and where guys like to go and Larkin made a great play to get himself available.”
The Red Wings will be relying on van Riemsdyk to help keep the sixth ranked power play in the NHL clicking, as well as providing depth scoring at even strength to bring playoff hockey back to Detroit after nine years of watching from the outside.