Yeah, I think McLeod took his spot. Haas was VERY reliable defensively, but just couldn't score to save his life and was poor on faceoffs. I think the team is thinking that McLeod can come in and be as good on D (as he is quite good for a young guy), is bigger/faster, and already better on draws. The team likely believes that the offence is potentially higher with McLeod as well, although that remains to be seen IMO, as McLeod doesn't look to have much offence either. I think starting next season that McLeod is likely already a slight upgrade over Haas, but not much of an upgrade. But with him being 8 years younger and cost controlled for 1 more year and only being a RFA afterwards, it is a relatively smart bet to place.
All that said, I liked Haas more than many of our other bottom-6 guys, and wanted him to get more playing time. He was a good "low event" player.