Maple Leafs Weird Post Has Fans Buzzing About Possible Reunion – Hockey Writers –

Sometimes, the team’s social media account drops funny comments, which have fans wondering if there is something coming that the organization has not revealed in a press release. On Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs posted a video of a goal by James van Riemsdyk — a player who hasn’t suited up for the franchise since 2017-18 and hasn’t been signed this summer.

There was no context, no caption explaining why they shared the old video. It was just a video of him scoring a goal, out of nowhere. And Leafs fans on the internet quickly took notice.

Were The Maple Leafs Teasing The van Riemsdyk Reunion?

Because of the interesting timing, one fan responded, “Why are you showing the old video of JVR’s goal?” Another went further, suggesting that van Riemsdyk might be replaced with Auston Matthews a few shifts into the game, betting that his penchant for the net in front could still be productive even in limited minutes. Another added, “He still has everything to touch the net but he just can’t swing. Nostalgic clip, but he doesn’t add anything to the team to make them winners unless he’s an assistant PP coach.”

Obviously, the reaction was all over the place, and it’s the kind of speculation that comes when a group posts a video like this for no reason. One could argue that teams rarely, if ever, post videos of senior depth players scoring random goals.

Not unless something else happens.

Is there anything else going on? Are the Maple Leafs kidding that they want to bring back van Riemsdyk on a cheap contract? Maybe he will be used in another role?

Let’s not be fooled, This Could Be Anything

This may be nothing. A random video doesn’t mean an announcement is coming.

Maple Leafs analyst and broadcaster, Nick Alberga, quickly tried to shut down the speculation, stating bluntly: “For those wondering, no, this does not mean the Leafs signed JVR. There is nothing to it.” Some fans came in with the same simple explanation – that the team’s account just posted old highlights, and this was one of them. Social media groups do things to attract engagement. This could be all the organization’s PR team is trying to do here. Judging by the reaction to the video, it seems to have worked.

However, this may need to be followed. Teams have completely used “spoof” posts in the past to gauge fan reaction or quietly build anticipation, whether it’s intentional or not. And van Riemsdyk is still a name on the open market that fits a real roster need — a friendly, one-year (or PTO) forward who brings size, experience, and 82 games of pedigree. If Toronto is openly exploring a reunion, this is exactly the kind of low-cost, low-risk move that could happen quietly without much fanfare, especially against a big name.

That’s really the fun of a time like this. It might be nothing – the team’s PR account posts old highlights for no reason.