Frustration has boiled over on Broadway.
With the New York Rangers officially eliminated from post-season contention, at least one player seemed ready to speak his mind on Sunday.
According to New York Post reporter Mollie Walker, veteran defenceman Calvin de Haan had some pointed words for media during a practice session on Sunday.
“Calvin de Haan walked past us as he was about to get on the ice and commented on how it’s all finally over,” Walker posted on X.
“He said something to the effect of, ‘How about the way I’ve been treated here? It’s f—–.’
“We asked if he wanted to talk, he said yes and that he would be ‘very transparent.’”
Walker followed that up by sharing that de Haan, after speaking with a member of the Rangers PR staff, would wait until the season ended before addressing his issues with the team.
“After coming off the ice and having a conversation with #NYR PR, de Haan decided he wanted to wait until the end of the season so he could get more information,” she posted.
“I confirmed it was his decision and he said yes, but it was clear the Blueshirts didn’t want him to talk.”
De Haan was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche with Juuso Pärssinen and two conditional picks for Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey back on March 1. After having played 44 games for the Avs, de Haan suited up for three games with the Rangers before being a healthy scratch in every game since then.
In the three games that de Haan played for the Blueshirts, the Rangers won two by shutout and lost the third in overtime to the Washington Capitals.
Later on Sunday afternoon, de Haan replied to the brewing controversy with his own social-media post.
“Going to get ahead of this now,” the 31-year-old began his post on X.
“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. 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 defenceman joins a growing list of ex-Rangers who have spoken out about the team since departing Manhattan. According to the Post, ex-captain Jacob Trouba, former second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko and Jimmy Vesey have shared their negative thoughts about the club since being shipped out this season.
Now in his 13th NHL seasoin, De Haan will be a free agent after this season ends.