Calvin de Haan got some things off his chest about the New York Rangers on Monday. But his break-up day session with reporters wasn't nearly as explosive as expected following his outburst last week in South Florida.
Back on April 19, de Haan told reporters it's "f____ed" how the Rangers treated him since he was acquired in a trade from the Colorado Avalanche on March 1. De Haan played three games and then was scratched the rest of the regular season (20 games), despite playing well and the Rangers posting a 2-0-1 mark in those games he played, including a pair of 4-0 shutout victories.
"Not much to assess, you know, I only played three games," de Haan said at breakup day . "Obviously spoke my mind a week ago. A little frustrating, but it is what it is. Just moving on, going home to enjoy some time with friends and family, and enjoy the offseason. I'll be getting in the gym somewhat quick, trying to be in the best possible shape for training camp wherever that may be, and go from there."
It's a bit of a head scratcher why de Haan sat for 20 consecutive games when the Rangers needed a win every night in their push to try and make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After the Rangers acquired defenseman Carson Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks shortly after picking up de Haan, the veteran's playing time dried up. Soucy, Urho Vaakanainen and Zac Jones all played ahead of de Haan, even when K'Andre Miller missed time due to injury.
After the trade, the notion was that de Haan would play, especially since it was Ryan Lindgren , a regular on the blue line, who was traded away.
"I was a part of a trade for a Ranger who was a good New York Ranger for a long time," explained de Haan. "I was told I was going to be a part of the team moving forward and get an opportunity."
De Haan voiced his frustration to the media with about a week left in the regular season, which went viral online. He got ahead of things, releasing a statement saying that he would dive more into the topic on breakup day.
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While he had a lot to say, and was noticeably aggravated about the subject, this excerpt sums it up best.
"Guys who have been in my position for that long just want to play," de Haan said. "If you're not upset, you probably shouldn't be in this line of work. If you're just content with sitting on the sideline, that's not a good thing in my opinion. I still have the fire. It is what it is, guys, it's all good. No hard feelings to anyone in the organization. At the time it was just frustrating."
Related: Igor Shesterkin believes 'something broke this season' for Rangers, causing lack of confidence
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De Haan won't be back next season. He's an unrestricted free agent and will be looking for a new NHL home in 2025-26. The 33-year-old has played for five teams during the past four seasons.
His assessment of the Rangers is a valued one, considering his experience. It's also a bit surprising.
"It's a good bunch of guys here," de Haan said. "Guys like each other off the ice. I don't think that's a pressing issue, to blow everything up. A lot of good guys here. I think the stars need to align at times, and you need a bounce here and there."
But was it just poor puck luck that sabotaged the Rangers during this miserable season, especially during their failed playoff push?
"There were definitely times that I saw where it was just not cohesive maybe, on the ice," continued de Haan. "On the ice, for sure, it was frustrating to see some of the goals we were letting in. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, this is a group of five on the ice that were letting in goals, but then there were flashes of brilliance where you're like, this team should be in the playoffs, frankly."
It's still hard to fathom that the Rangers are not in the playoffs, not one of the eight best teams in the Eastern Conference. Just a year ago they were the Presidents' Trophy winners, the beasts of the East, the team to beat.
Now they're the biggest disappointment of the 2024-25 season. So, what comes next for de Haan and the Rangers?
"There'll be some changes, obviously. Maybe I'll be around, maybe not, who knows," he said. "Going into next year, the bar will still be set high for this organization — and it should be. There's good players here."
