New York Rangers
By Joe PantornoPosted on April 13, 2025
Mar 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Calvin de Haan (44) skates against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Calvin de Haan had seldom been used since he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Colorado Avalanche, and now he has been forced to clear the air.
Scratched from each of the last 18 games after appearing in just three with the Blueshirts, de Haan fumed while hitting the ice before morning skate on Sunday — less than 24 hours after the Rangers were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
“How about the way I’ve been treated here?” de Haan asked while passing a throng of reporters, including Mollie Walker of the New York Post, who relayed his quote. “It’s f—ked.”
After expressing a desire to speak with those same reporters to delve into his frustrations, the teamprevented him from providing any sort of transparency. This prompted the 33-year-old to take toX to clear the air aboutthe situation.
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“Going to get ahead of this now… I was hoping that I would have been able to express [myself] in a scrum setting versus a quote as I was going onto the ice and having it on the internet 30 seconds later. I said what I said because I am frustrated, and any competitor who says that they would be happy in this position would be lying to you.
After playing 3 games for the team and going 2-0-1, I thought I maybe would have got an opportunity to jump into the lineup and help win some games. Did I help win those games I played, maybe? Maybe not? But we still won and collected some crucial points to climb the standings. I understand the youth movement in the NHL, and I’m getting older in hockey years, and I may not play every single night.
I feel like I can still contribute and help teams win. I know I’m not going to play 20 minutes a night in the role I’ve been in the past few years, but again, I feel like I can still keep up and help a team in certain facets of the game. I’m not trying to be the villain or gain attention, or throw shade on the organization.
I would have preferred a scrum setting to chat about how my time with the Rangers has gone. As a player you have to respect the lineup decisions whether you like them or not, it’s just been frustrating not being able to compete and do what I love to do. I hope everyone understands.”
The Rangers picked up de Haan, Juuso Parssinen, a 2025 conditional second-round pick, and a 2025 conditional fourth-round pick for defenseman Ryan Lindgren, forward Jimmy Vesey, and the rights to unsigned draft pick Hank Kempf.
He played 44 games with the Avalanche to start the season before Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette buried him in the depth chart upon his arrival. This is the fifth different team he has played for in the last four years (Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Avalanche).
Considering how things are going down on Broadway, it feels like a given that de Haan will be signing elsewhere when he hits free agency this summer.
