The Tampa Bay Lightning picked up a solid depth piece as defenceman Calvin de Haan signs a contract with the club. General Manager Julien BriseBois and de Haan agreed on a one-year deal with $775K. This is a smart addition for the club as it provides depth on the blue line. The depth that is crucial if you are a perennial contender such as the Lightning have proven to be lately.
We have signed free agent defenseman Calvin de Haan to a one-year contract worth $775,000.
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— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 2, 2023
Calvin de Haan Signs a Contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning
Calvin de Haan has played for three teams over an 11-year NHL career. Those teams are the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Moreover, he has accumulated 21 goals, and 110 assists, for 131 points over 573 career games. He’s not a big point producer, but you can count on his dependability and grit. He’s good at getting in lanes, as evidenced by his 172 blocked shots in 2021-22. Also, he is strong defensively. Last year in 53 games for the Hurricanes his defensive point share (DPS) was 2.3.
What Does This Mean for the Tampa Bay Lightning
This is an example of the type of move that keeps the Lightning competitive in the Eastern Conference. They just go out and sign a veteran, defensive defenceman for right around three-quarters of a million dollars. To that point, when de Haan works his way into the lineup, you have a reliable defender. Furthermore, he played 53 games last season for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were a team expected to and did go on a solid playoff drive. This is exactly the type of guy you want on your roster, in your locker room. The Lightning are also appreciative of this rounding out their top six. They have high-end talent on the blue line, but will need a strong six man unit. They do not want to be first round casualties again in 2024.
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