Fansided

One free agent every NHL team should sign this offseason

By C.L. Kohuss

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 18: Patrick Maroon #17 of the New Jersey Devils heads out to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Prudential Center on April 18, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 18: Patrick Maroon #17 of the New Jersey Devils heads out to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Prudential Center on April 18, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 09: New York Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan (44) shoots form the point during a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on December 9, 2017, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, The Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 09: New York Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan (44) shoots form the point during a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on December 9, 2017, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, The Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Nashville Predators: Calvin de Haan, Defenseman

After winning the President’s Trophy but ultimately losing in Round 2 to the Winnipeg Jets, the Nashville Predators could use another defender. That sounds crazy, right? They have arguably the best defense in the NHL with P.K. Subban and Roman Josi. They also have Pekka Rinne in goal for at least the next year.

Yet once the playoffs rolled around, the Preds were toasted for 42 goals against in 13 games. They were outplayed by the speed of Colorado but got away with it, and they were outplayed by the speed of the Jets and it caught up to them. Unprepared, maybe? Possibly.

If we go by what they did last year in the playoffs, then you trust them for next season to bounce back. In 2017 Nashville gave up 48 goals in 22 games before losing in the Stanley Cup Final. It’s also a relatively young group on the blue line, so hiccups happen.

With that said, it’s still an area to shore up and look to continuously tinker with and fix. Ask Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford and he’ll give the same answer. After the Pens were ousted by the Capitals, FanSided’s own Michelle Bruton noted that changes were likely to come, despite Rutherford’s roster being pretty identical to the one that took home back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. Never rest and let other teams get better while you do nothing.

Calvin de Haan, as mentioned in regards to Edmonton, would be a nice fit at a good price for this Predators team. They’re currently looking at having around $13 million, and because de Haan suffered an injury that forced him to miss a significant portion of the year, he probably won’t cost above $4 million.

Aside from being great on the penalty kill, he also blocks a ton of shots. de Haan was fourth in the NHL in ’16 and fourth in ’17. Plus he’s 27. He won’t put up a lot of numbers offensively, but they won’t need him to. They have Subban and Josi doing that already.

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