The JVR Dilemma

Maybe the subject line was a bit exaggerated.  The word dilemma implies some form of negativity based around a decision to be made.  The optimist would say that this kind of 'dilemma' is a good thing for any team.  You can never have too much depth.  

Notwithstanding Ville Leino being re-signed, or let go (a mini dilemma in itself) - James van Riemsdyk has a contract year coming up and I feel like he is often ignored by the wealth of Flyers depth on the team currently.

In his rookie season, JVR performed admirably.  I think it's safe to presume he wore down towards the end of it all, but who could blame him?

This season is kind of the opposite: a very very very slow start, followed by decent consistency the rest of the year.

When all is said and done this season, he will have more goals than Claude Giroux did in his 2nd season with the team, and although he isn't quite that kind of playmaker, his natural goal scoring ability is hard to refute.

With the Flyers hard up against the cap (as usual) - is it going to come down to choosing Leino and letting JVR walk to the highest bidder? Can they fit everyone in under the cap?  If JVR continues to progress next year, what is he worth?

That's a lot of questions.

Personally, I think you have to keep JVR in the fold, even if that means perhaps letting Leino go this offseason (ideally they keep both so don't crucify me for hating on Leino, I like him).  Both of these players have tremendous upside but JVR serves a purpose that Ville Leino cannot : that of a power forward.

Mike Knuble is long gone and he is not coming back.  I was not his biggest fan but his production spoke for itself.  In my opinion, JVR has the potential to be that presence in front of the net that Knuble was, while at the same time developing an all around game that Knuble could never dream of.  A combination of hands, strong skating ability and size could make us all forgot about Knuble once and for all.  

I think this 'dilemma' will find its way into next season whether or not Leino is still with the team.

So what do the Flyers do with JVR? Sign him to a Giroux-type contract in length and wait him out? Sign him to the lifetime type contract that would make him hard to get rid of if he doesn't pan out?  

Personally, I think you lock him up mid-season next year (like Giroux).  That way, in the off-chance that another GM has a bone to pick with Holmgren, we won't risk overpaying and pushing the cap even moreso to keep him. This year, JVR has shown flashes of brilliance that cannot be ignored.  In a perfect world, JVR will continue to progress and improve next season and the Flyers may be able to get him at a 'market-value' type discount contract, much like Giroux signed earlier this year.

As a Flyers fan, don't you want to say: ''Wow, I'm glad we locked him up because he is going to be worth so much more'' ?

Or do you feel that he simply hasn't lived up to the hype of a #2 overall pick and that his chances of doing so are slim ? 

Finally, is it just too early to tell? This year's playoffs will mean a lot for JVR and Leino's future with the organization.  We all know that Leino would not be the everyday player he is today if it weren't for last year's playoffs.  Not in Philly anyhow.  

Comments? Suggestions? Concerns?

Thanks for reading my first post.