James van Riemsdyk has heard the rumours. He knows there's an argument for the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade his expiring contract before the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

Still, the 28-year-old winger is doing his best to tune out the noise and focus only on his play on the ice.

“We’re all human,” van Riemsdyk told the Toronto Sun over the weekend. “Things usually work out the way they are supposed to, but that doesn’t mean there are not moments where you are thinking about it more than other times.

“You try not to waste any extra energy worrying about it when you have no control over it.”

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported last month that the Leafs were expected to hold on to van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov - all pending free agents - as "own rentals" for a playoff run. 

However, Dreger said Monday that if the Maple Leafs' plan is patience, it would make more sense to move one, or more, of the three to improve their chances for a Stanley Cup in the future.

"There's no right answer in terms of how everything's going to turn out," Dreger told TSN Radio 1050. "If you believe that the path is to be patient, then it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to hold on to the assets of  the 'own rental' in JVR, Komarov and in Bozak. Because you could flip those - between now and February 26 - pieces for a lot. For a lot that maybe helps you in the short term, but most importantly on the long-term.

"But, then you have to balance that with 'Okay, we're a playoff team. So if we keep those assets, and we win a round, well that's incredibly valuable experience for those young players.'

"It's going to be fascinating to watch how things unfold."

Van Riemsdyk, likely the most valuable of the Leafs pending free agents, scored his 20th goal of the season last week and has now topped the 20-goal mark in four of his past five seasons. 

“It’s funny how your expectations kind of shift over the years,” van Riemsdyk told the Sun. “You expect yourself to get [to 20 goals] versus when you do it the first time. I was laughing about that with my dad. You push yourself higher and higher, and you want to keep pushing the envelope. 

“We have a great group of guys I love being around, but at the end of the day, we have no control over [being traded]. I’m prepared to come in every day like I always do and put my best foot forward and do what I can to help the team win.

“I’ll let the rest of the chips fall where they may.”