by Jim Parsons
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Ivan Demidov will make his debut with the Montreal Canadiens. The Edmonton Oilers got potentially bad news when it comes to some key names and their returns before the playoffs. Finally, what is the deal between the New York Rangers and veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan?
Demidov to Debut with Canadiens
Ivan Demidov, the KHL’s all-time single-season points leader by a U20 player, will suit up for the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Given the buzz surrounding his arrival, the player is highly anticipated, and expectations are high. Head coach Martin St. Louis said before the game, “It’s important for everyone to know he’s not a savior. We have a really good team, he’s going to be a piece of our really good team – that’s the way we see it.”
Even more intriguing is that Montreal can clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight. Demidov is skating on the third line with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia.
Oilers Might Not Get Players Back Before Playoffs
The Edmonton Oilers pulled out a strong road win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night, earning their third-straight victory with a severely depleted lineup. That’s the good news. The bad news is that many of the players who are out might not be back before the playoffs.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Oilers’ 4-1 Victory Over Jets
Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer said during the game that he doesn’t think Zach Hyman will play again until the playoffs. Leon Draisaitl wanted a couple of games to get his feet under him, but it might just be the last game of the season he plays. Mattias Ekholm is going to miss serious time and potentially all of the playoffs, and Trent Frederic might be available for Game 1, but he might not be.
Calvin De Haan Calls Out Rangers
According toNew York Postreporter Mollie Walker, veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan was beyond frustrated on Sunday and hinted he wanted to talk with the media about his experience with the New York Rangers. A healthy scratch for 18 games, he said it was “fu—d” that he wasn’t playing and hinted the team was “just wasting time”. He wanted to hold a scrum with the media after the morning skate, but was seemingly talked out of it by the Rangers’ PR team.
Later in the afternoon, de Haan released a statement on social media. He wrote:
“Going to get ahead of this now… I was hoping that I would have been able to express in a scrum setting versus a quote as I was going onto the ice and having it on the Internet 30 seconds later. I said what I said because I am frustrated , and any competitor who says that they would be happy in this position would be lying to you…. I thought I maybe would have got an opportunity to jump into the lineup and help win some games. Did I help win those games I played, maybe? Maybe not? But we still won and collected some crucial points to climb the standings.”
He went on to say that while he understands the youth movement in the NHL and why he is not a regular at this point in his career, “I feel like I can still contribute and help teams win.”
He said he’s not done as a player, he can keep up with the game, and he hinted he deserved better after the trade. “I’m not trying to be the villain or gain attention or throw shade on the organization; I would have preferred a scrum setting to chat about how my time with the Rangers has gone.” As a player, you have to respect the lineup decisions, whether you like them or not. It’s just been frustrating not being able to compete and do what I love to do. I hope everyone understands.”
Clearly, de Haan and the Rangers will be parting ways at the end of the season.
