Calvin de Haan cleared the air on Wednesday after criticizing the New York Rangers for mistreating him.
According to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, de Haan said "something to the effect of, 'How about the way I've been treated here? It's f--ked,'" when walking past the media Sunday.
He later wrote a long paragraph, airing out his grievances on X.
Following Wednesday’s practice, the veteran defenseman took a calmer approach and while his feelings haven’t necessarily changed, he does regret some of the things he originally said about the Rangers.
“I was just going out on the ice and thought it was more of a small talk conversation with the reporters," de Haan said. “Maybe I should have chosen my words a little better, frankly.”
The 33-year-old made sure to talk with Rangers general manager Chris Drury and apologize for his choice of words amid his frustration.
“I called (Rangers team president) Chris Drury right after I saw everything online and tried to do their honorable thing, and just tell him, ‘Sorry. I didn't mean to belittle anyone or drag the organization through the mud,’” de Haan said. "I think it got really blown out of proportion, frankly. Like, it's on the NHL Network and stuff last night. Seeing it, I’m like, ‘C’mon.’ It’s this 24-hour news cycle.”
The Rangers traded for de Haan from the Colorado Avalanche on Mar. 2 in a deal that included Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey.
He played in just three games for the Rangers before serving as a healthy scratch for the past 19 games.
This is not what de Haan envisioned when he arrived in New York, which is why he’s upset.
“It's not groundbreaking information,” said de Haan. “I’ve just been frustrated. Like I said in my post, any competitor that's been in my position for the past 20 games is going to want to play at some point. ... You dream of playing in the NHL. You want to continue to do it as long as possible.”
It’s been a difficult few weeks for de Haan who didn’t see his pregnant wife and young son for the entirety of March.
Despite all of the hardships of being a professional hockey player, there is still a part of de Haan that wants to keep playing as he is set to become a free agent this summer.
“You’ve got to be realistic,” de Haan said. “I'm getting older in hockey years, and I've been one-year deals the past few years. It's been a little frustrating not being able to have someone trust me with a multi-year deal or anything, but I'm still gonna work and try to earn my contracts, obviously, and play well. But if the opportunity arises, I'd like to still play.”