Trevor van Riemsdyk can play on any D pair

We continue our Washington Capitals player previews on this fine Labor Day. If all goes well the defense should be knocked out by the end of the day. We’ve got two defensemen left. Before we talk about the new guy, let’s chat about Trevor van Riemsdyk.

van Riemsdyk, or TvR, was signed by the Caps in free agency of 2020. It was a bargain at one million dollars. In 2021 he re upped for two years. After the trade deadline for 2023 he re upped again. This time it was there eyears for $9 million with the average annual value or AAV of $3 million per season.

TvR had OK numbers his first two seasons with the Caps. His first year in 2021 saw him record three points in 20 games with a goal and two assists. Not much playing time that year with Zdeno Chara.

We got a better sample size in 2021 22 where he had 17 points in 72 games with a goal and 16 assists. Last season he not only got a three year deal in the middle of the season, he earned it. 23 points with seven goals and 16 assists will do that.

The 23 points and the seven goals are career highs while the 16 assists ties the career high he set the previous season. With injuries up and down the lineup especially on defense, Trevor van Riemsdyk found himself playing on every pairing with different guys.

This season God willing this team stays healthy. That’s the best case scenario. Martin Fehervary and John Carlson should be locks for the top pair. Trevor van Riemsdyk and Nick Jensen could play the second pair.

The third pair is where things get dicey. Rasmus Sandin should be a lock there but his partner could be either Joel Edmundson or Alex Alexeyev. It’s really up to both of them to see which one can stand out more when training camp begins September 21.