

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Walking onto the ice for an optional morning skate, Calvin de Haan didn’t hide his frustration. The Rangers have made the veteran defenseman a healthy scratch the past 18 games.
“Just wasting time,” he said, adding that it’s “f—ed” how the Rangers have treated him.
New York acquired de Haan in the package it received for Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey and Hank Kempf. Coach Peter Laviolette played him his first three games with the team and has made him a healthy scratch since.
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The 33-year-old de Haan, a pending unrestricted free agent, initially said he would speak to reporters after practice and be “very transparent.” He had a conversation with a Rangers public relations staffer when leaving the ice, then told reporters he would prefer to wait until after the season. He stressed it was his decision — not the public relations staff’s — to not go more into detail Sunday. He wants to gather more information first.
“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,” de Haan later tweeted Sunday afternoon. “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.
“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.”
Laviolette discusses future
With the Rangers eliminated from playoff contention less than a year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, Laviolette knows change could be coming — potentially involving him. Asked directly about his job security, Laviolette said “I’m not naive.”
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“I think everything gets looked at when a year is not good like this,” he said. “I’m not blind to anything. I love being here with these guys and the New York Rangers. It’s a year where everything went right to a year where things didn’t go right. When things don’t go right, I’m sure everything gets looked at.”
The Rangers set a record for wins and points in 2023-24, then started this season 12-4-1. A dismal 5-14-0 stretch followed, and though the Rangers’ season stabilized a bit when the calendar flipped to 2025 (21-17-6 record since Jan. 1) the team never found steady success, especially with its power-play and defensive structure.
Laviolette said there will be time to discuss specific elements of the Rangers’ season that went wrong but didn’t say much else Sunday, other than that the team needed to be more consistent. He also made clear he wants to remain with the Rangers, even if it’s not his choice.
“It’s a great organization, great city, great fan base,” Laviolette said. “It’s just tough right now. Everybody’s faced with disappointment. Everybody I just mentioned is faced with disappointment today, and I get that. There’s always things that are looked at.”
Schneider out, Robertson to debut
Braden Schneider is out for the final two games of the season with an upper-body injury. He was dealing with the injury during the season, according to a league source, but will sit out now that the Rangers are officially eliminated. The 23-year-old is expected to be ready for the start of next season.
Schneider will finish 2024-25 with 80 games played, six goals, 15 assists and 21 points. His scoring numbers are all slightly above his previous career highs, and he averaged 17:52 per game, nearly two minutes more than he has ever averaged in a season.
With Schneider out, the Rangers recalled Matthew Robertson from AHL Hartford. Robertson, a 2019 second-round pick, has been recalled multiple times in his career but has yet to appear in a game. Laviolette said he will debut Monday against the Florida Panthers.
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“My excitement level is super high,” Robertson said. “It feels like it’s been a long time coming. It seems like I’ve been close a couple times.”
Robertson found out he’d be in the lineup shortly before taking the ice in Fort Lauderdale. He took a 6:30 a.m. flight out of Hartford to meet the team.
“When you get the call up to the NHL, I’d wake up at any time,” he said.
Young players will likely see increased ice time with the Rangers eliminated. Laviolette said Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann will both see action before the season is over, though he did not specify if they will play Monday in Florida, Thursday against Tampa Bay or both games.
Cuylle on World Championships
Will Cuylle scored his 20th goal of the season Saturday in Raleigh and would be a logical candidate for Team Canada’s World Championships roster. He has yet to hear from team executives on the possibility.
“To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it too much,” Cuylle said. “It’s good to play hockey and get better and meet new people, keep working on your game.”
But, he added, “My focus was all on the Rangers. Still is for the last two games.”
(Photo of Calvin de Haan: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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