The Islanders and defenseman Calvin de Haan have settled on a one-year deal just before the arbitration deadline. The deal is for $3.3 million, almost in the middle of what each side was to present at the hearing, with de Haan requesting $5 million and the Isles coming in at $1.9 million.
This is clearly a "show me" deal for both sides, as the 26-year-old defender is currently not a $5 million dollar player and not a $1.9 million player, either.
All of this probably could've been avoided had general manager Garth Snow offered de Haan four years at $4 million per season. If Snow didn't have defensemen Devon Toews and Parker Wotherspoon waiting in the wings, I think the above deal would've gotten done.
The 12th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft set career-highs in every category this past season, and this was the first time in his career that he played in all 82 games, scoring five goals and 20 assists.
Snow praised de Haan while pretty much sealing his fate with the team.
"Calvin is a home-grown product of the organization and has developed into one of our top defenseman during his time with the organization. He plays important minutes for our club and we're excited to have him back for one more year."
de Haan will be an unrestricted free agent following the season.