Sources: Former Flyer James van Riemsdyk signs with the Boston Bruins

James van Riemsdyk had to wait a few months longer than he expected to join a contender, but he didn’t have to wait long once free agency opened Saturday to find his new home.

The former Flyers winger agreed to a contract with the Boston Bruins just minutes after the NHL’s free agency period opened up at noon, sources confirmed to The Inquirer. The deal reportedly is for one year and $1 million.

“I think all his ex-teammates, here as an organization, he’s a great teammate,” said general manager Danny Brière, who was once van Riemsdyk’s teammate. “Everybody’s excited about him having another chance now with the Boston Bruins. They were the best team in the NHL in the regular season. So I’m sure they have a lot to prove when we get back. So I think it’s a great fit for him to go to a good team.”

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Van Riemsdyk, 34, joins a Boston team that last season set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135). The move comes just months after former Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher failed to move van Riemsdyk ahead of the trade deadline, despite the fact he was set to hit unrestricted free agency.

Last season, van Riemsdyk scored 12 goals and tallied 29 points in 61 games for the Flyers. Because of his age, contract, and the Flyers’ decision to rebuild, van Riemsdyk was all but assured to leave Philadelphia this summer.

The Flyers drafted van Riemsdyk with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft. He went on to play eight seasons with the team over two different spells with the Orange and Black. In all, van Riemsdyk scored 146 goals and posted 297 points in 527 games as a Flyer.

“What was amazing is, he knew what his strengths were,” said Brière, who was a teammate during van Riemsdyk’s first stint and part of the front office for the second. “He was really good around the net, and he was really good along the boards. And if you watched him in practice, he spent lots of time working his craft.”

But Van Riemsdyk’s best years came with the Toronto Maple Leafs in between his two stints in Philadelphia. With the Leafs, he scored 25-plus goals in four of his six seasons, including two 30-goal seasons and a career-high 36 in 2017-18. The Flyers re-signed him in 2018 to a five-year, $35 million contract.

Overall, van Riemsdyk ranks 31st in franchise history in games played (527), 23rd in goals (146), 22nd in power-play goals (42), and 32nd in points (297). He played his 900th career game this season on Jan. 9 against the Buffalo Sabres.

But his legacy went beyond the ice. Van Riemsdyk left an impact on the locker room and the community. He worked with Scott Laughton to start new LGBTQ+ initiatives. He advocated for people with autism and collaborated with the Wells Fargo Center on their sensory room. He was a teacher on the bench and a guy players could talk to in or out of the locker room.

“That’s the one thing you you remember about James,” Brière said. “He treated everybody with class, with respect.”

Van Riemsdyk will have at least one familiar face with him in Boston, as Patrick Brown also has inked a deal with the Bruins.

Brown’s deal with Boston is for two years and $1.6 million. The Flyers’ fourth-line center the past two seasons, Brown will be a depth add for the Bruins, who face an uncertain future down the middle with the potential retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí. Brown will return to a city that has brought him some fond members. He played his college hockey at nearby Boston College and won a national championship with the Eagles in 2012.

Brown, who finished last season with Ottawa after the Flyers traded him for a draft pick, had four goals and a career-high 12 points last season in 61 games. He is best known for his proficiency as a faceoff man (56.1% for his career) and defensive work on the penalty kill.