New Blackhawks defenseman de Haan can't wait to get rolling
Calvin de Haan isn't likely to score much or dish out many fancy assists for the Blackhawks next season.
But that's OK.
Because while goal-scoring, puck-moving defensemen are all the rage, General Manager Stan Bowman acquired de Haan from Carolina to shore up a leaky blue line and to help the Hawks' penalty kill.
De Haan figures to do the latter quite well, and was particularly pleased with seeing several social media posts comparing him to Niklas Hjalmarsson.
"That's a compliment," said the 28-year-old de Haan, who has 13 goals in 378 games but ranks 11th in blocked shots per game over the past four seasons. "That guy's had a great career and that's a player I like to play like. Nothing flashy - just kind of get the job done, and I hope Blackhawk fans will really appreciate my game."
The Hawks acquired de Haan and forward Aleksi Saarela from the Hurricanes last week in exchange for goalie Anton Forsberg and defenseman Gustav Forsling.
De Haan, who signed a four-year, $18.2 million contract last off-season with Carolina, admitted he was still a bit shocked about the move. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said it was one of the most difficult phone calls he had to make.
"He's a great teammate," said Waddell, who pulled the trigger to give his organization more flexibility in free agency and to give his young D-men the chance to prove themselves next season. "Players love him in the locker room. … He's not going to score a lot. But he's a steady defenseman - somebody you can count on, good penalty killer. Just a solid player."
De Haan is five weeks removed from shoulder surgery, but expects to be ready for training camp.
The big question here is did the Hawks find a hidden gem in Saarela? The 22-year-old Finn was a third-round pick of the Rangers in 2015, and he pumped in 37 goals in 86 games (including playoffs) during the Charlotte Checkers' run to a Calder Cup championship.
One of those tallies was a game-winner in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals against the Chicago Wolves at the Allstate Arena. Saarela backed off a Wolves defender, then ripped a wrister that beat goalie Oscar Dansk with 7:08 remaining.
"He can score from anywhere," Charlotte coach Mike Vellucci said afterward. "It's heavy, it's quick. That really doesn't really make a lot of sense, but it does. It catches you by surprise.
"I had an argument with Steve Smith in Carolina last year. He thought Justin Faulk's wrist shot was harder and I said, 'No. I think his is.'
"It's the hardest shot I've seen."
Saarela's brother, Antti, was just drafted by the Hawks in the fourth round of the NHL draft Saturday. Antti is a 5-foot-11, 183-pound winger who has plenty of speed and a wicked shot.
"I don't know if there's a lot of brothers in the same organizations," Aleksi said. "So it's a cool thing, and I hope my brother's going to sign an NHL deal some day and (we) can play on the same team."
Darling buyout coming?
Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said he's "leaning a little bit toward" buying out former Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling, who has two years remaining on his four-year, $16.6 million deal.
"We don't want to be (carrying) a $4.15 million cap hit," Waddell said.
Waddell said he's hoping to trade Darling, but if that fails he must buy him out by June 30. According to capfriendly.com, the hits would be as follows: $1.233 million this season, $2.333 million next season and $1.183 million in 2021-22 and 2022-23.