The Rangers made a big move ahead of this week’s NHL trade deadline.
Knowing that they’ll likely be unable to retain them in unrestricted free agency this offseason, New York decided to send defenseman Ryan Lindgren and versatile winger Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche.
In return, New York is receiving veteran defenseman Calvin de Hahn, young center Juuso Parssinen, a conditional second-round pick, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft.
Parting ways with two of their veteran pieces is certainly a big blow in the Blueshirts’ locker room, but they are also picking up a pair of intriguing pieces who are expected to slot into the starting lineup immediately.
So what exactly should Rangers fans expect from their new additions?
De Haan is a former first-round pick of the Islanders who has appeared in 676 games with five different teams over the course of his pro career. He hasn’t quite been able to live up to his draft status, but provides a serviceable veteran option on the backend for a team that badly needs the help.
He has just seven assists this season, but feels if you can look past that, his overall game has been much better.
“My stats aren’t too sexy, but my underlying numbers have been pretty good for the most part this year,” de Haan said Sunday. “I’m just try to play my game — play steady hockey, play reliable hockey, try to help the team win. At the end of the day, that’s my job.”
De Haan is also an impending UFA, so it’s entirely possible that in this heavy sellers market his stay in the Big Apple won’t be long, but for now he is expected to slot in alongside Zac Jones on the bottom pairing
Parssinen, on the other hand, is said to be a player whom the Rangers have shown a ton of interest in acquiring in the past. In fact, they had discussions about him with the Nashville Predators before they ultimately shipped him off to Colorado earlier this season.
The 24-year-old actually scored his first career goal against the Blueshirts back in 2022.
Since then, he’s produced just 18 goals and 30 assists during his professional career, but the organization believes that he posses the skillset and potential to grow into an impactful bottom-six center.
"A good young centerman," Peter Laviolette said. "He’s been playing wing, but in conversations with him he wants to play center. Thinking back to Nashville, he played with some good players. This is a good opportunity to come in and show what he can do."
Parssinen will center the third line between Brennan Othmann and Jonny Brodzinski.