Now that it's the offseason it's that time again to start discussing trade possibilities. James van Riemsdyk is no stranger to being talked about when it comes to possible trades, so it was no surprise his name would come up soon. Sure enough, NBC 10's Howard Eskin reported last night that the Flyers are weighing trading JvR to Columbus for Rick Nash. Apparently though, in an effort not to go, JvR is holding up on getting surgery done on his torn labrum. While Holmgren said the delay is due to an infection in JvR's foot, could you really blame JvR for not wanting to go to hockey purgatory in Columbus?
Plus, this whole JvR for Nash thing does not make a whole lot of sense. Why would we need to bring Rick Nash aboard when defense is really what we need to worry about this offseason. The Flyers were already 2nd in the league last season in goals per game. If JvR gets traded for Nash, not only do the Flyers pick up an extra $3.5 million in cap hit, but who's left to go to try and sign Shea Weber from the Predators? While I do love JvR, I'd be fine seeing him go for a worthy replacement for Pronger. Perhaps JvR hasn't seen the best of his days yet, but I don't think the offense will struggle too much without him. If he and Matt Carle both go though, we won't really have any Americans on the roster anymore, besides Couturier.
What it all comes down to is that JvR should only be traded for defensive pieces. And even if JvR does not want to leave he should at least look on the bright side. If Holmgren trades you, there's a pretty good chance you'll be in the Stanley Cup Finals in the near future.
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