New Jersey Devils Free Agency Profile: Calvin De Haan
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils are officially in offseason mode. Over the next few days, we will look at 20 potential free agents they could look at signing. Today, we look at the New York Islanders Calvin De Haan.
The name Calvin De Haan has been thrown around a lot this offseason as a defenseman the New Jersey Devils should target. Tyler Kelley talks about his affinity for the Islanders blue liner in his UFA Defenseman breakdown, and he thinks the Devils should sign him no matter what.
It’s no secret that the Devils could sorely use defensive help. Obviously, the prize of free agency is John Carlson. However, Carlson is going to literally cost an arm and a leg. De Haan may come to the Devils on a deal that’s incredibly reasonable.
De Haan’s timing is terrible. He’s becoming a free agent at the lowest point of his value. Matt Cane’s free agent contract predictions have him making $1.67 million on a one-year deal. Part of this is due to an injury-riddled season where his production was at rock bottom. Well, rock bottom for him at least.
He badly dislocated his shoulder in December, and was forced to get surgery in January. His +/- has been positive over the past three seasons, despite taking more and more defensive zone starts every season. I understand it’s a flawed stat, but scoring more goals than giving up while taking more faceoffs in the defensive zone tells you something.
De Haan may not be a traditional first-line defenseman the Devils seem to need, but bringing in a player of De Haan’s skill set for that price is hard to pass up. Even if the Devils pay him for past performance and ignore this injury, he could still make $2.5 million on a multi-year deal. Something in the range of three years, for $7.2 million over the course of the contract would make sense.
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This signing seems like a no-brainer for both sides. The Islanders bungled his contract extension last offseason, and then De Haan was injured. He likely has a bad taste in his mouth. However, if he wants to stay in the area he can sign with the Devils and live in the same house/apartment. Plus, he’s going to a situation on the rise.
De Haan could play in any of the six positions on defense. He could pair with Sami Vatanen on the top line, play alongside Will Butcher for a good middle line, or pair next to Ben Lovejoy for a solid bottom line. His versatility is something Ray Shero loves.
The Devils should go full-court press on signing De Haan. While everyone is rushing to sign Carlson, and on a lesser degree Mike Green, the Devils can sneak in and sign the best bargain on the market. This signing seems most likely of any.