New York Rangers trade grades after acquiring Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen from Avalanche
In their fourth trade of the 2024-25 season, the New York Rangers acquired Calvin de Haan and Juuso Parssinen from the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday with an eye more on the future than their current pursuit of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
But that’s OK. They still have a shot at reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season even after trading respected veterans Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey. There was no interest in the Rangers in re-signing either pending UFA this offseason, so moving each was a foregone conclusion.
De Haan and Parssinen will slot in for Lindgren and Vesey on the current squad. But the Rangers also landed a second- and fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, helping re-stock their draft capital moving forward.
Related: What’s next for Rangers after four-player trade with Avalanche
Grading the Rangers trade of Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey to Avalanche
Members of the Forever Blueshirts staff analyze and grade the Rangers trade of Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche for Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen and two draft picks. Trade grades reflect the Rangers point of view.
Jim Cerny – Executive Editor – B
I think the Rangers did fine here. They key was re-stocking their draft capital. Neither Lindgren nor Vesey had a future in New York past March 7, so moving each was a no-brainer, even in the thick of a playoff race. Chris Drury has been nothing this past year if not cold and calculated and this was the latest example, but it’s for the Rangers own good.
De Haan, a pending UFA, is a serviceable if not exciting nor long-term replacement for Lindgren. And Parssinen is intriguing, reportedly someone who’s been on the Rangers radar for years. The Rangers were thin down the middle organizationally, so, at worst, he adds depth. But Parssinen could center that third line, allowing Mika Zibanejad to remain at the wing on J.T. Miller’s line, where he’s thriving.
An added benefit of moving Vesey is that it creates more of an opportunity for Brennan Othmann, Arthur Kaliyev and/or Brett Berard to play down the stretch.
John Kreiser, Senior Staff Writer: C+
Lindgren is the best player involved in the trade. But as it became increasingly apparent that the Rangers weren’t going to re-sign him before he became a free agent this summer, the question became “where” rather than “if” he would be traded. Adam Fox’s longtime partner can still provide a physical element, but wasn’t going to be worth what he’s likely going to be seek in free agency. Vesey was supplanted on the bottom six by young players like Othmann and Matt Rempe; trading the 32-year-old UFA opens more playing time for the young guys.
De Haan has never lived up to his draft status (first round, No. 12 in 2009). He’s a serviceable bottom-four (likely third-pairing) defenseman who’s an OK puck-mover and not especially physical. The 33-year-old can also be a UFA this summer; don’t be surprised if his stay in New York is a short one. At 24, Parssinen has already defied the odds by playing more than 100 NHL games after being a seventh-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2019. He wasn’t playing much with Colorado after being acquired from Nashville in December, and it’s hard to envision him as anything more than a depth forward.
Tom Castro – Staff Writer – B+
The Rangers did well in acting early – a Drury trade deadline special – in achieving their primary goal with Lindgren: Acquiring at least a second-round draft pick as the club looks to recoup draft assets dealt away as buyers ahead of the past three deadlines. The second-rounder could be fairly high, since the Rangers are likely to be getting back their own pick (held by Colorado) in a year in which they’ll probably be without the conditional first rounder sent away in the J.T. Miller trade with the Vancouver Canucks.
Including versatile bottom six veteran forward Vesey – who, like Lindgren, was a player on an expiring contract that the Rangers really had to trade – helped them obtain an intriguing big (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) center in Parssinen. He is a skilled young player who’s something of a reclamation project. Nonetheless, adding the pending RFA was a plus, as was the fourth-round selection that Drury also pried away in the deal.
De Haan is a steady veteran left-shot defenseman who can eat some of Lindgren’s minutes. He was a necessary add, although as a UFA this summer, isn’t likely to be back. Overall, Drury did well here in obtaining the necessary value for a pair of players not in their future plans.
Dane Walsh – Staff Writer – B+
This trade checks off a couple of boxes for the Rangers. They move on from two expiring contracts that they likely were not going to re-sign in Lindgren and Vesey. They exchange Vesey for Parssinen who can fill in at 3C, and exchange the injury-prone Lindgren for a veteran defenseman in de Haan. Getting two draft picks also helps add to their depleted draft capital, or provide assets that can be flipped in future deals. With Fox out long term, the Rangers may be setting up to acquire a top-2 defenseman ahead of the deadline, and this deal helps prepare them for that scenario. Overall, a win for Drury.
Larry Fleisher – Staff Writer – C
Trading Lindgren seemed inevitable all season especially as the Rangers tumbled in the standings during their 4-15-0 swoon in November and December. Lindgren’s contract status and decline in performance made any deal to be a matter of when it would happen though the timing is interesting given Fox’s recent upper-body injury that will sideline his partner for weeks and possibly the rest of the season.
I thought they’d get a little more than spare parts for Lindgren, but apparently his trade value was diminished at this point. We’ll see how Parssinen works out.
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