Each day leading up to Sept. 14, the official start of Flyers training camp, we'll dissect the biggest storylines facing the team ahead of the 2018-19 season.
When the Flyers went out and inked James van Riemsdyk on Day 1 of free agency, there was an unequivocal shift signaled by management.
The time should be coming … now.
Ron Hextall's meticulousness and prudence over his first four years as general manager allowed such a move to happen, a signing unlike any of his in the past. Really, before this summer, Hextall's biggest free-agent acquisition was either Dale Weise or Brian Elliott.
So, yeah, signing a 36-goal scorer to a five-year, $35 million deal is a change of the times, the process moving forward substantially, not incrementally.
"Our philosophy four years ago was more to get our cap in order and gather young assets, and we've kind of been through that process now," Hextall said July 1. "It's coming to fruition in terms of guys we have on our team, and when we can add somewhere to strengthen our team, we want to do it and we'll continue to try and do it."
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How it plays out is the new question.
Thanks to the addition of van Riemsdyk, head coach Dave Hakstol has greater depth at his exposal and a certified top six, however he constructs it.
The decision on van Riemsdyk's spot within the lineup shouldn't be difficult. With Claude Giroux's career resurgence coming as the Flyers' first-line left winger, JVR slides seamlessly onto the second group at LW. Placing a finisher like van Riemsdyk alongside skilled passers like Nolan Patrick and Jakub Voracek would create dynamic possibilities.
Voracek's 209 assists since 2014-15 are fourth most in the NHL, while van Riemsdyk's 65 goals over the past two seasons are tied for 15th with John Tavares. Patrick, fresh off a full summer of training and turning 20 this month, is regarded for making those around him better.
"You see up front, there's lots of talent and lots of depth to play with, so there are different sort of options and different things to try," van Riemsdyk said in late July. "I think my skill set definitely complements some of the guys that have been here already and I'm excited to get started with that."
When it comes to 5-on-5 goal scoring, the Flyers haven't ranked in the top 15 since 2011-12, the last time they won a playoff series. They were sixth that season with 166 goals at 5-on-5. From 2016-17 to 2017-18, the Flyers made a considerable jump from 27th (128 goals) to 16th (158 goals). In 2018-19, they look primed to crack the top 10.
What might be Hakstol's trickiest call is finding where van Riemsdyk fits on the Flyers' power play. The former Maple Leaf netted 11 man-advantage goals last season, which would have been tied for first on the Flyers with Wayne Simmonds.
Simmonds and van Riemsdyk have similar power-play strengths of feasting around the net. Patrick also played well in that role down the stretch of his rookie season.
If anything, the Flyers will be deeper and more dangerous when up a man. While the second unit doesn't see as much ice time, it's often tasked with salvaging a power play when the first unit falters. The fact that the Flyers will have players with 30-goal potential on the second group is important.
"Hak, we've talked long and hard about it," Hextall said in July. "We know James is very good net front. He's got great hands, he's got good size. We feel like with this addition on our power play, we can put out two really good units. It gives us another left shot, which we needed.
"So where everybody winds up, I don't know. That's one of those things you try in training camp, and there's a chemistry thing there. I don't know where that's going to shake out, but we feel pretty comfortable that our power play has taken a step."
The expectation is for the whole process to take a step - a big one, because it's time.
