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Calvin de Haan

Hurricanes Sign Calvin De Haan

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It was a successful tryout for defenseman Calvin de Haan as the Hurricanes announced that they’ve signed the veteran to a one-year contract.  The deal is worth $850K.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement on the move:

We obviously knew Calvin from his previous time in Carolina. We like what we’ve seen from him in camp and saw this as an opportunity to increase our depth on the back end.

That time that Waddell speaks of is from the 2018-19 season when he played in 74 games for Carolina, primarily in a shutdown role.  It’s a role that the 32-year-old is quite familiar with as it’s the one that he has had for most of his 10-year NHL career which also featured time with the Islanders and Blackhawks.  Last season, de Haan played in 69 games for Chicago, picking up four goals and four assists while logging just shy of 19 minutes a game.  He also led the Blackhawks in blocked shots (172) and placed second in hits with 146.

With Jake Gardiner not being able to return this season, it opens up a spot for de Haan on the roster although it seems quite likely that he will have a smaller role than he’s accustomed to.  Carolina’s top four is fully established with all four of those players being fully capable of logging over 20 minutes a night.  That will leave de Haan fighting for ice time on the third pairing and perhaps even being in a seventh defenseman role at times.  Even so, he extends his NHL career with this deal and becomes the second defender in as many days to convert a PTO agreement into a full contract.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Calvin De Haan To PTO

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In a surprising turn, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed veteran free agent defenseman Calvin de Haan to a professional tryout, according to CapFriendly. It is not surprising that the Hurricanes would bring in some additional depth, only that de Haan has been down that route before.

Ahead of the 2018-19 season, he signed a four-year deal with the Hurricanes, the longest and most lucrative contract of his career. Before it was even a year old, though, he was shipped off to the Chicago Blackhawks for Gustav Forsling, who would be buried in the minors and never play for Carolina, and Anton Forsberg, who would appear three times for the organization. At the time, de Haan admitted he was shocked by the deal and had been hoping to put down roots in Raleigh with his then-fiancee.

Given that the Vancouver Canucks were rumored to be in the mix for de Haan, and just this morning announced a PTO for Danny DeKeyser, it may have come down to a lack of options for the 31-year-old.

That may surprise some. In the three seasons since he was traded to Chicago, de Haan has continued to provide steady-if-unspectacular minutes, averaging a touch over 19 a game, mostly in defensive situations. In 2021-22 he racked up 172 blocked shots and 146 hits, but just eight points. His offense was never de Haan’s calling card, as he has just 100 NHL points in more than 500 games, but he can still contribute to a penalty kill and provide some experience in a more limited role.

It also might just come down to the fact that he loved living in Raleigh. With a good training camp, perhaps he can return.

West Notes: Canucks Defense, Stars RFAs, Kessel

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The bulk of the Vancouver Canucks’ offseason work looks complete. A few new faces have been brought in, some players have departed, and a few major pending free agent situations still loom large, unlikely to be solved in the near future. But even though they’re largely ready for next season, the Canucks’ new regime led by Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin isn’t done looking to make tweaks to their roster, even as we near the end of August.

Per Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, the Canucks are “still listening on the trade market and kicking some tires on some of the unrestricted free agent talent” that’s still on the market. (subscription link) The two report that the Canucks are “among a small group of teams still in the mix” for unrestricted free agent defenseman Calvin de Haan, and that the team has made adding some extra support to its blueline the priority at this stage of the offseason. With defender Tucker Poolman’s health status uncertain, adding a proven veteran defenseman such as de Haan would be a sensible move for a Vancouver side that wants to pick up where they left off last season under coach Bruce Boudreau.

Now, for some more news from the Western Conference:

  • Two of the Dallas Stars’ best players, Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson, are still without a contract for next season. The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf issued an update on the contract situations of the two players today, reporting that contract talks continue to “move at a snail’s pace.” (subscription link) The negotiations have reportedly played out like a “staring contest”  between the players’ camps and the Stars, and Yousuf attributes the lack of any competitive pressure (possibility of an offer sheet, the looming start of training camp) to the slow pace of the deals. Oettinger and Robertson are still overwhelmingly likely to have deals in place before training camp, but it seems recently there hasn’t been any momentum towards actually getting those contracts ironed out.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights and Phil Kessel signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract earlier this week, a deal that looks sensible for both sides. According to Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast, the Golden Knights weren’t the only “win-now” team in the mix for Kessel’s services. Per Friedman, Kessel was a name that came up regarding the Flames’ desire for another forward, perhaps even to play with new acquisition Nazem Kadri and breakout winger Andrew Mangiapane. We previously covered how the Flames were connected to free agent winger Evan Rodrigues, so their reported interest in Kessel certainly checks out.

Free Agent Profile: Calvin De Haan

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When it became clear that the Chicago Blackhawks would be pursuing a no-holds-barred teardown under new GM Kyle Davidson, many presumed that, at the very least, any player on an expiring deal in Chicago would be dealt by the team at the trade deadline. Davidson traded Ryan Carpenter and Marc-Andre Fleury, two players on expiring deals, but one of the team’s top pending unrestricted free agents, Calvin de Haan, stayed put. It seemed curious that a veteran, experienced defenseman with a defense-first game like de Haan would not be dealt as a deadline rental, but that’s exactly what happened.

Now, de Haan’s offseason free agent market is looking a lot like his trade market: curiously slow. Expecting a vibrant, robust market for de Haan would have been a mistake. The veteran of over 500 NHL games has been on the decline, and his health has been a nagging problem since he began his professional career. De Haan has played in a full 82-game season just once, which is worrying due to the fact that he made his NHL debut in 2011-12. He’s had every opportunity but just hasn’t been able to remain available consistently.

Additionally, de Haan’s game has become a bit one-dimensional. In a league where the two-way, transitional defenseman is in vogue, de Haan’s game is a bit of a throwback. To say de Haan is “defense-first” would be an understatement. He’s “defense-only” at this point in his career, with little in the way of offensive utility. He had just eight points in 69 games, and his issues with shoulder injuries have taken a toll on his puck skills. But, even with all that in mind, it still is a bit of a surprise to see de Haan unsigned in August, especially given the leaguewide sentiment of “you can never have too many capable defensemen.”

Despite all the flaws in his overall profile, there still is a place for de Haan in the NHL. His usage has been remarkably consistent throughout his career. He got around 19-20 minutes of ice time per game earlier in his career and now gets around 18 minutes a night with second-unit penalty-killing duties. While some could see his defensive style to be one-dimensional and a negative to his game, others could see value in the steadiness and safety he provides. To use a popular hockey cliche, de Haan is a defenseman who is best when he’s not noticed, and de Haan has become adept at remaining anonymous on the ice as he’s aged. That style isn’t for everyone, but it’s hard to believe that there aren’t any teams in the NHL who want to add that to their roster, even if he does have to spend some time on injured reserve.

Stats:

2021-22: 69 GP, 4G 4A 8pts, -21 rating, 33 PIMs, 107 shots, 18:57 ATOI

Career: 520 GP, 19G 100A 119pts, 0 rating, 195 PIMs, 736 shots, 19:29 ATOI

Potential Suitors:

Based on de Haan’s overall profile, he fits best with a team in need of a steady, veteran defenseman to stabilize their blueline and help them integrate young defensemen into the fold. Given de Haan’s status as a still unsigned free agent, he may not be in a strong enough position to be able to pick and choose his destinations. While he undoubtedly would like to sign with a contender, a mentorship role on a younger team could be a better fit at this stage of his career. Additionally, with cap space at an absolute premium, he may only receive the sort of contract he desires from a team with lots of cap space, and most teams with cap space right now are ones not in a “win-now” phase.

One potential fit for de Haan is the Buffalo Sabres. They had an encouraging season last year, but their team is still remarkably young, especially on defense. Their oldest defender who projects to be in their nightly lineup is Ilya Lyubushkin, who is 28 but has just 211 NHL games under his belt, and just seven career playoff contests. The next-oldest defenseman likely to make their NHL roster is Jacob Bryson, who is just 24 and made his NHL debut in 2020-21. If we assume Mattias Samuelsson will partner with Rasmus Dahlin on the team’s first pairing, as he did at times last season, and Owen Power will slide into a second-pairing role next to Lyubushkin, the Sabres have a possible opening for de Haan on their third pairing next to Henri Jokiharju. Jokiharju, a defenseman with puck-moving ability, could be a solid partner for de Haan and someone whose game could be improved thanks to the stability de Haan would provide.

Additionally, the Sabres have a glut of tweener defensemen in their organization, names like Lawrence Pilut, Chase Priskie, and Kale Clague, who could insulate team from a de Haan injury. They also have nearly $20MM in available salary cap space and just one remaining free agent to tie up, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. While there hasn’t been a bidding war for de Haan’s services by any means, the Sabres could make any de Haan deal fit onto their books quite smoothly.

Another fit could be a return to his former team, the New York Islanders. The Islanders’ top-four on defense looks set. The Adam Pelech–Ryan Pulock pairing isn’t going to change anytime soon, and summer trade acquisition Alexander Romanov will likely get a long look next to breakout star Noah Dobson. Their bottom pairing, though, looks a bit more open. Scott Mayfield will play on the right side, but who will be his partner? The team could opt to go young and stick Robin Salo in the role, but if he’s not ready they could be forced to give Sebastian Aho regular minutes, which might not be ideal if the team is intent on returning to the playoffs. De Haan would fit into their current salary cap puzzle and give Salo veteran competition for that third-pairing role, as well as give the Islanders yet another defense-first option to fit into their style of play.

He has familiarity with the organization and a clear place to play in the lineup if the youngsters aren’t ready. Might the team prefer to stick a more up-tempo, pace-pushing option next to Mayfield? Sure, but giving de Haan a contract and a chance to win that job wouldn’t hurt, either.

Projected Contract:

De Haan ranked 49th on PHR’s 2022 Top 50 UFAs list, and was projected to earn a one-year, $1.5MM deal from the Ottawa Senators. A role on the Senators as either a seventh defenseman or competition to Erik Brannstrom for a third-pairing role could make sense, but maybe not at the $1.5MM cost we projected, especially if Senators GM Pierre Dorion is still seeking a big-name defensive addition.

It’s difficult to exactly project de Haan’s next deal, as on paper he’s more qualified than the veteran defensemen who have received one-year, two-way league minimum deals this summer.

But, on the other hand, he’s also had issues with availability and many teams place value on a defenseman who is able to stay in the lineup and remain healthy. It’s definitely possible that de Haan has to settle for a minimum contract with a sizeable minor-league guarantee, but that doesn’t seem likely. A one-year deal with one of the above clubs at a cap number similar to our $1.5MM projection seems like a reasonable outcome for his free agent journey, even if the ultimate number does come in a bit closer to $1MM.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Financial information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Kane And Toews Welcome To Stay Through Blackhawks Rebuild

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When then-interim general manager Kyle Davidson was officially handed the job, he made it clear that the Chicago Blackhawks were headed for a rebuild. He then quickly doubled down on those plans by trading away up-and-coming forward Brandon Hagel for a package of first-round picks and pro-ready prospects. Davidson has also discussed trades for fellow young forwards Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome and has been less than committal about re-signing veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan, who would like to return.

The situation has raised many questions about the futures of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The duo have long been the franchise cornerstones of the Blackhawks and will see their numbers in the rafters of the United Center one day. However, they each have just one season remaining on their current contracts and if they want to compete for yet another Stanley Cup before their careers come to a close, they will likely have to leave Chicago for the first time in their careers.  Toews has already been vocal about his disappointment with the direction of the club, moving into a rebuild while there is still some veteran talent on the roster, and has questioned whether he would go elsewhere to end his career. Meanwhile, Kane is still one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NHL, fresh off of a 92-point season. If he does not plan to re-sign with the Blackhawks, the team can charge a king’s ransom to trade him this off-season.

Yet, it seems that Davidson’s rebuild plan may not require that his future Hall of Famers go elsewhere. Speaking to the media today, Davidson responded to a question from the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope about how Toews and Kane fit into the Blackhawks’ future:

There’s definitely a place for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane moving forward. I don’t think there’s any question about that. What their roles are and how they fit into things, that’s part of the dialogue that we’re having. [We’re] being very honest about with how we see their role and what we need out of them moving forward. They’re fully aware of what those [views] are, and there’s going to be questions and further conversations to really firm that up because it is something that isn’t… solved with one conversation or understood with one conversation.

Having them around is something we’re never going to shy away from because they can show this next wave of players how it’s done. And you never know, maybe they could be part of (this) when we’re back to having success. We don’t know the timeline of any of that yet, but [with their] amount of experience, the understanding of what it takes to be a good professional, what it takes to develop into a high quality professional and then win at the professional level, that experience and understanding is invaluable, so absolutely there is a place for 19 and 88 with the Blackhawks in any form that they wish.

Davidson certainly didn’t parse his words. He understands that the situation may not be ideal for his iconic veterans, but if they are willing to stick it out then he is willing to keep them. If Toews and Kane want to re-sign with the Blackhawks then that is what will happen. It’s now on the players to make it clear in their conversations with the team what their thoughts are on the future. Will they stay on as the living embodiment of what Chicago wants out of the young stars of their rebuild? Or will they ask to be traded and chase another title while they still can? While the two side have plenty of talking to do, we may know sooner rather than later what the future will bring.

Central Notes: De Haan, McBain, Forsberg

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Before Monday’s trade deadline, many expected that Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan would be on the move but a deal never materialized.  Now that he’s still in Chicago, the veteran recently told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’d to stay there beyond this season.  De Haan is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and will assuredly wind up with a contract that’s considerably cheaper than his current $4.55MM AAV.  The 30-year-old has just five points in 59 games this season but is second on the team in blocked shots with 147 while logging over 19 minutes per contest.  However, while de Haan would like to stay in Chicago, the team has young left-shot blueliners Wyatt Kalynuk, Riley Stillman, Alex Vlasic, and Caleb Jones in their system already that are all 24 or younger.  For a team committing to a rebuild, it may make more sense to play them more and not bring de Haan back next season.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • The Coyotes will have to wait a while for Jack McBain to make his NHL debut. Head coach Andre Tourigny told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) that the 22-year-old’s ankle injury may take longer to heal than expected; instead of him being out for a few days, it could be a few weeks.  From a contractual standpoint, McBain’s first year will be burned regardless of whether or not he plays but Arizona would certainly like to get him into some game action to evaluate his readiness for next season.
  • With the Predators opting not to trade Filip Forsberg at the trade deadline, Gentry Estes of The Tennessean suggests that Nashville has no real choice but to hand the winger the money he’s seeking to sign a long-term extension. With their last chance to trade him for any value now gone (a negotiating rights trade wouldn’t bring back much), the scribe posits that Forsberg could easily up his asking price with the team no longer having a lot of leverage in discussions.  Of course, Forsberg’s play in itself is only making that price go higher as he has 36 goals and 28 assists in 52 games this season; he’s the leading goal-getter among pending unrestricted free agents.

Trade Rumors: Lindholm, Chychrun, Barabanov, De Haan

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With just four days remaining before the Trade Deadline, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that there hasn’t been much progress made on an extension between the Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Hampus Lindholm, and it’s unclear at this point whether general manager Pat Verbeek will circle back to try and work out a deal. Seravalli also relays that the current asking price for Lindholm is a first-round pick, a top prospect, and another asset. While Lindholm is still a quality defenseman after battling back from injury trouble the last few seasons, that’s an exorbitant asking price for a rental player with just 22 points in 61 games on the season. He’s second among Ducks blueliners in terms of ice time per game, being eclipsed by almost two minutes per game by Cam Fowler. Verbeek is playing a dangerous game here, and will likely have to up his extension offer or lower his asking price in order to retain value for Lindholm either way.

As the Trade Deadline creeps closer, some more notes from the trade market:

  • Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland says it’s “looking more and more like” the Arizona Coyotes won’t be dealing defenseman Jakob Chychrun prior to the Trade Deadline. The much-talked-about defenseman is currently on the shelf with an ankle injury, which originally put his availability in question. Strickland says it doesn’t mean that the team is going to hang onto him long-term, though, as there’s still a high potential for Chychrun to get moved over the summer, potentially prior to the 2022 NHL Draft.
  • The San Jose Sharks haven’t had any talks on a new deal for pending unrestricted free agent Alexander Barabanov, per The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. Assistant general manager Joe Will, who’s in effect the team’s interim GM while Doug Wilson is away on a medical leave of absence, knows that “[the team] is trying to replenish” and is listening to offers on many other pending UFAs as well. Barabanov’s continued a strong end to the 2020-21 campaign after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting 30 points in 51 games while receiving top-six minutes. It could be a bit of buyer beware in this case, though, as many advanced metrics suggest the 27-year-old’s production can be strongly attributed to playing with Tomas Hertl.
  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports conversation surrounding Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan is heating up, and specifically names the Toronto Maple Leafs as a team in the mix to acquire him. De Haan has just five points on the year, but he’s still an extremely capable two-way defenseman who’s helped stop the bleeding defensively this year in Chicago. He’s a solid case of a buy-low candidate who could flourish on a better team, which is exactly the type of player the Maple Leafs have targeted in recent months.

Jonathan Toews, Tyler Johnson To Return For Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks are getting a whole bunch of reinforcements tonight. Jonathan Toews, Tyler Johnson, Calvin de Haan, and Riley Stillman will all return, as Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago reports. Henrik Borgstrom and Erik Gustafsson will sit, while Alec Regula was returned to the minor leagues earlier today.

While de Haan wasn’t technically on injured reserve, the other three were, with Johnson not playing since the end of October. The 31-year-old forward underwent the same artificial disk replacement surgery that Jack Eichel did, and will be playing in just his ninth game of the season. Toews meanwhile has been out since January dealing with a concussion issue. His return will hopefully come with a resurgence offensively, as the Blackhawks captain was able to score just four times through his first 43 games.

That has been a huge part of why the team has struggled this season, and the future for Toews is now very murky. He missed all of 2020-21 with Chronic Immune Response Syndrome, and now seems a shell of the player that was an annual Selke and Hart trophy candidate. With new Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson indicating that a rebuild is coming for Chicago, and Toews having just one year left on his contract, it’s hard to envision him playing there for many more seasons unless he can really find his game at some point. Only 33, (34 in April) getting back on the ice tonight will be a good start.

In de Haan specifically, his return represents a very different situation. The 30-year-old defenseman is on an expiring contract and could be a nice trade deadline piece for the Blackhawks if he can show he’s healthy and relatively effective over the next few weeks. In 48 games this season he has just five points, but a physical defenseman who can play both sides and penalty kill will always be sought-after at the deadline.

Stillman meanwhile is potentially a piece for the future, as the 23-year-old signed a three-year $4.05MM contract extension last spring. In 28 games this season he actually has ten points, despite averaging fewer than 15 minutes a night. If players like de Haan are moved out at some point, the opportunity for a player like Stillman should be increased.

Injury Updates: White, Sundqvist, Jokiharju, De Haan

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Senators center Colin White will return to the lineup tonight against Montreal, relays Ian Mendes of The Athletic (Twitter link).  The 25-year-old suffered a dislocated shoulder at the end of training camp and has yet to play this season as a result.  Now three seasons removed from his 41-point campaign in 2018-19, White will likely spend time at both center and the wing as Ottawa looks to find what his ideal role for next season and beyond will be.

More injury news from around the NHL:

  • Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist suffered a lower-body injury in last night’s game against Buffalo, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes. The good news for St. Louis is that head coach Craig Berube indicated that the injury isn’t related to the hip or knee that he had recent surgery done on.  Sundqvist has 15 points in 35 games this season – the highest point per game average of his career – and is set to be re-evaluated later today.
  • After missing last night’s game against St. Louis, Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s contest in Colorado, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). The 22-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s loss in Montreal.  The good news for Buffalo is that Jokiharju – who is logging more than 21 minutes a night – should be able to return early next week.
  • Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan missed last night’s game due to a right groin strain, the team announced (Twitter link). The veteran is in the final year of his contract and is a strong candidate to be moved between now and next month’s trade deadline as someone that can provide some shot blocking and physicality.

Calvin De Haan Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine

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Not only does the Department of Player Safety have a hearing with Ross Johnston of the New York Islanders today, but some more supplementary discipline was on their plate. Calvin de Haan of the Chicago Blackhawks has earned a $2,500 fine for a dangerous trip on Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield.

The incident in question happened partway through the third period as Caufield tried to skate around the Blackhawks’ net. The trip, which appeared to be a clear slew-foot, went unpenalized by the on-ice officials. The league has been seeing a huge increase in these kinds of incidents this season, with Brad Marchand and Kevin Labanc both earning slew-footing suspensions and P.K. Subban earning multiple fines.

There are some who credit the crackdown on cross-checking as the reason why these trips have seemingly increased, though obviously, the league believes something like this is not worthy of a suspension. Caufield did not suffer a serious injury on the play. While it isn’t a suspension, the incident will still be considered in any future disciplinary decisions involving de Haan.

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