New Rangers Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen try to get acclimated quickly
Rangers defenseman Calvin de Haan sets before a face off against the Nashville Predators in the first period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
GREENBURGH — As they got ready Sunday morning to face the struggling Nashville Predators at Madison Square Garden, part of the Rangers’ preparation was trying to assimilate two new guys, young forward Juuso Parssinen and veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan, into their lineup.
The two were set to make their debuts for the club Sunday night after being acquired Saturday from the Colorado Avalanche, along with a couple of draft picks, for defenseman Ryan Lindgren and forward Jimmy Vesey.
“It's a bit of a whirlwind,’’ said de Haan, 33, after the Rangers’ morning skate. “Got to go do video with the coaches now, and kind of figure things out. But at the end of the day, [you’ve] just got to rely on instincts, I think a little bit. There's a lot of X's and O's to the game, but . . . everything's moving so fast, and you just got to rely on what you've been doing since you're a young kid.’’
For Parssinen, who called the Rangers a “legendary organization,’’ it’s been even more of a whirlwind, as this was the second time he’s been traded this season. The 24-year-old was dealt from Nashville to Colorado after the Christmas break for minor-leaguer Ondrej Pavel and an exchange of draft picks.
“It's been pretty crazy,’’ said Parssinen, who made a point of shaking every reporter’s hand as they crowded around his locker. “It's not every day you get traded. And then you get traded twice, you know? . . . But I'm here now. It's a pretty great spot. The city, the team . . . the organization, it's pretty special to be here.’’
The two replace a couple of beloved figures in the Rangers' locker room in Lindgren and Vesey, who were both set to be unrestricted free agents this summer.
“We can't thank Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy enough for what they've done for the organization, long before I got here, and since I've been here,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’re talking about two really good human beings, and two really good hockey players that have played hard for the New York Rangers.’’
There’s been a lot of roster reconstruction for the Rangers this season, beginning with the trades in December of captain Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko, followed by the trade at the end of January that sent Filip Chytil and prospect defenseman Victor Mancini to Vancouver as part of the package to get J.T. Miller. And with the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday, the Rangers held pending UFA Reilly Smith out of the lineup Sunday for roster management reasons, the team said.
Parssinen and de Haan left a Colorado club that is one of the top teams in the league to join a Rangers side that is in a desperate battle to try to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. They began Sunday four points behind Detroit, which held the second wild card spot.
Both players, though, expressed confidence in the Rangers’ chances, with 23 games left in the regular season.
“You look up and down this lineup, there's a boatload of talent on this team,’’ de Haan said. “There's no reason why this team can't make a push for the playoffs. And . . . I think we can do some damage if we get into the dance. Anything can happen, right? . . . So, step one is getting there.’’
Against Nashville, de Haan — a former Islander — started out paired with Zac Jones on defense. Parssinen centered a line between rookie Brett Berard and Jonny Brodzinski.
Asked what he can bring to the Rangers, the 6-3, 212-pound Parssinen, who had four goals and seven assists in 37 games for Nashville and Colorado combined, said, “I can bring some size and physicality. And I’m good on both sides of the puck, and can make plays.’’
Parssinen said he is a good friend of Kakko, a teammate in Finland. But he said he had never met new teammate Urho Vaakanainen, who is also Finnish.
“I talked a little bit with him, sounds like a really good guy,’’ he said of Vaakanainen. “It helps [to have another Finn on the team]. You can ask about a question from him, even though he got traded here, like, two, three months ago, so he's pretty new too.’’
De Haan, who is 6-1, 192, styled himself as a reliable, defensive defenseman. He had no goals and seven assists in 44 games with Colorado and 24 goals and 124 assists in 676 career games with the Islanders, Carolina, Chicago, Carolina again, Tampa Bay and Colorado.
Notes & quotes: De Haan got his familiar uniform No. 44, which he has worn at every stop in the NHL. The number had previously belonged to Matthew Robertson, who switched to 29. Parssinen got No. 71 . . . Robertson and Arthur Kaliyev were the healthy scratches . . . Chris Kreider (IR) missed his fourth game with an upper-body injury.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
