New York Islanders 2016-17 Player Grades: Calvin de Haan

Mar 24, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) and defenseman Calvin de Haan (44) look on in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Islanders won 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) and defenseman Calvin de Haan (44) look on in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Islanders won 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

New York Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan had a solid season that has been highly underrated by Islanders fans, but that’s just how it’s always been.

Calvin de Haan has been the New York Islanders best defensively minded defenseman ever since he made his debut with the team in 2014, but fans always overlook just how important de Haan is to this team.

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He has always been the most effective penalty killer the New York Islanders had, and also was consistently in the top five on the team in +/- and blocked shots. Some New York Islanders find him as an offensive liability, but I beg to differ.

Although de Haan is brutal when it comes to putting points on the score sheet on a regular basis, he still had a career high in both goals, assists and points this season, netting five goals and 20 assists totaling 25 points.

Calvin de Haan had arguably the best defensive seasons of his career as well, setting a career high in plus/minus with an amazing +15. He also helped out an Islanders penalty kill which so desperately needed him.

With all of that being said, Calvin de Haan had the season of his career, yet still gets highly overlooked by New York Islanders fans everywhere, how disappointing.

The Grade

Calvin de Haan gets an A for me

de Haan had the best season any New York Islanders fan could ask of him, putting up a solid amount of points as well as anchoring a defense which so desperately needed him.

With the defensive presence Calvin de Haan provides, ranking well above almost every other defenseman on the Islanders in +/- and blocked shots, there is no reason why de Haan gets anything less than an A.

de Haan also was top five in the league in blocked shots this year, which is a regularity for him as he blocked a whopping 190 shots this season. To put that in perspective, de Haan blocked 44 more shots than the next New York Islander on this list; his defensive partner, Dennis Seidenberg, who has 146.

Next: Why Calvin de Haan is Underrated

Calvin de Haan’s defensive play this season is something that the Isles couldn’t have gone anywhere near the playoffs without, which is why Calvin de Haan deserves the grade of an A.

Final Grade: A

Schedule