Calvin de Haan, It Was A Good One. Thanks And Best Of Luck In Tampa!

Calvin De Haan served the Carolina Hurricanes well and I am bummed to see him packing for Tampa Bay. As part of my favorite defensive pairing, which I aptly named the Hanfield Express, he was a solid addition to a Canes defensive unit that was stellar.

De Haan ended the season with 53 games, 12 points, and was +7. His play however was much better than the number belie.

If you will recall, de Haan and linemate Jalen Chatfield were part of several months long streaks of neutral to plus play regarding the +/- column. Neither were offensive powerhouses, but neither had to be. What they did offer Carolina was consistent defensive play, which is exactly what is required from a bottom defensive pairing.

Ostensibly replaced by Shayne Gothisbehere at the trade deadline, de Haan saw his playing time dwindle from a full slate through January to spot appearances in February and March. Gothisbehere only mustered 13 points with Carolina, where de Haan, especially paired with the increasingly productive Chatfield, would have undoubtedly tallied more.

He also, I think, would have developed with Chatfield into a point scorer. Gothisberhere really only seemed to pull Chatfield back.

But the hockey gods have let de Haan go to Tampa Bay where he has signed a  1-year contract worth $775K. Maybe more disappointing is the Hurricanes unloaded Gothisbehere to Detroit as well.

When you sideline a player doing exactly what you want of them, at least show them the courtesy of keeping the guy you benched him for. Instead the Canes interrupted what was likely a banner year for Calvin de Haan, and broke up one of their most solid defensive pairings. Then traded off the replaced and the replacer.

Bummer, Bummer, Bummer.

I know this is part of the hockey world, but that doesn’t mean I like it. I won’t be getting a de Haan jersey in Bolts colors, but I will definitely be keeping an eye on Tampa next year.