Calvin de Haan isn't exactly pleased with how his New York Rangers tenure has gone so far.
Since joining the Rangers through a March 1 trade from the Colorado Avalanche, the veteran defenceman has played in just three games with his new team.
But as he took the ice for morning skate on Sunday, the New York Post's Millie Walker reported hearing de Haan say something "to the effect of, 'How about the way I’ve been treated here? It’s (expletive).'"
Reporters then asked de Haan if he wanted to speak after the skate, to which he answered "yes" and said he would be "very transparent," Walker added.
However, after coming off the ice, de Haan decided he wanted to wait until the end of the season to speak to the media about his situation.
But as conversation began after Walker's report, de Haan took to social media to give his take on his time in the Big Apple.
"I was hoping that I would have been able to express in a scrum setting versus a quote as I was going onto the ice and having it on the Internet 30 seconds later," de Haan wrote on X. "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 three 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."
de Haan's three games as a Ranger all came in the immediate aftermath of the trade, as the 33-year-old averaged 15:51 of ice time in wins over the Predators and Islanders and an overtime loss to the Capitals. de Haan picked up one assist and had a plus-3 rating in those 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," he continued. "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."
New York, of course, was eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week and has since fallen to 37-36-7 with two games to play.
Playing in his 13th NHL season with his sixth team, de Haan is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of 2024-25.
"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," he finished. "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 finish their season with games against Florida and Tampa Bay on Monday and Thursday.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.