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tRY IT NOWCalvin de Haan wanted to “put the fire out” and address a situation that, from his vantage point, has been blown out of proportion.
Three days after the 33-year-old defenseman lambasted the way the Rangers have treated him since arriving via a midseason trade, describing it as “f–ked,” de Haan said his frustration mostly stemmed from being a healthy scratch for the past 19 games entering Thursday’s season finale.
The situation occurred as de Haan was about to step onto the ice for an optional practice Sunday in Sunrise, Fla.
He originally confirmed that he wanted to talk with reporters before speaking with the Rangers PR staff and delaying it, The Post’s Mollie Walker reported at the time.
He posted about the exchange on X later that day. De Haan revealed Thursday that he also called president and general manager Chris Drury and “tried to do the honorable thing and just tell him sorry, I didn’t mean to belittle anyone or drag the organization through the mud.
“It was a long month for me,” de Haan said. “They asked me if I was frustrated, and maybe I should’ve chosen my words a little better, frankly, but it was a long month for me. At the end of the day, I just wanted a chance to compete. I understand I’m not a top four, $10 million guy anymore in this league, and I might not have huge impact on the games.
“But I still want to play and be out there and go to war with the guys. That’s pretty much it at the end of the day. I wish I would’ve had a chance to say my thoughts in a scrum, more or less.”
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After arriving with Juuso Parssinen in the March trade that sent Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Avalanche, de Haan, 33, skated in his first three games with the Rangers, logged at least 14 minutes of ice time in each and even tallied an assist in his Blueshirts debut.
But Laviolette has kept de Haan in the press box since, though de Haan acknowledged he knows it’s “nothing personal” and just the business of the sport.
De Haan will be a free agent this offseason, and though he said he still wants to play and earn his contracts, he doesn’t know where the fit could be.
“You gotta be realistic,” de Haan said. “I’m getting older in hockey years, and I’ve been on one-year deals the past few years. … We’ll see.”