year. Bozak served as van Riemsdyk's primary center during the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons, and he also spent time on a line with Marner and Connor Brown. After dropping their final regular-season game 3–2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Leafs faced the Capitals in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. Washington eliminated Toronto with an overtime win in game six. Going into the 2017–18 season, van Riemsdyk was part of a strong forward group meant to carry the team offensively. On December 19, 2017, van Riemsdyk scored the 20,000th goal in Maple Leafs history with the third goal in an 8–1 defeat of the Hurricanes. The milestone also came on the 100th anniversary of the first goal in Toronto history, with Reg Noble of the Arenas scoring the franchise's first goal on December 19, 1917. His third career hat-trick came later that season, in a 6–5 victory over the Dallas Stars on March 14, 2018. In the next game, van Riemsdyk's second goal in a 5–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres was his 31st of the season, passing his previous single-season high. Van Riemsdyk's 200th career NHL goal came that same month, in a 4–3 win over the Florida Panthers on March 28. The victory also helped set a new franchise record for the Leafs, as it was their 27th season win on home ice. He finished the year with 54 points, including a career-high 36 goals. The Leafs faced the Bruins again in the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Bruins taking the series in seven games. Second stint with Philadelphia On July 1, 2018, van Riemsdyk, who had become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, signed a $35 million, five-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. On October 6, 2018, in only his second game back with the Flyers, van Riemsdyk took a puck to the leg during a game against the Colorado Avalanche and was expected to be out for five to six weeks. He missed 16 games before returning to the ice on November 15, playing on a line with Jordan Weal and Wayne Simmonds for a game against the New Jersey Devils. On February 8, 2019, the NHL Department of Player Safety fined van Riemsdyk $5,000, the maximum amount allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for a high-sticking penalty against Alec Martinez of