MONTRÉAL — In an effort to turn around the Flyers’ fortunes on the blue line, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher got to work early on the second day of the draft through the trade market.
The Flyers acquired right-shot defenseman Tony DeAngelo and a 2022 seventh-round pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, a 2024 third, and a fourth in 2022. The 26-year-old Sewell, N.J., native spent the last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, posting 10 goals and 41 assists in 64 games. DeAngelo, who was a plus-30 last season, said he is excited to be coming back home.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” DeAngelo said in a statement circulated by the Flyers. “I was born in Jersey, but really my entire family besides myself comes from Philly. That’s where we lived. Been a Flyers fan since the day I can remember. Like I said, it’s a dream come true. ... I could not be more excited to put the jersey over my shoulders.”
Prior to joining the Hurricanes last season on a one-year deal, DeAngelo, who was a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lighning in 2014, played one year for the Arizona Coyotes (2016-17) and in four with the New York Rangers (2017-21). In 270 career NHL games, DeAngelo has scored 34 goals and registered 123 assists, averaging 18:46 of ice time per game.
A restricted free agent, DeAngelo was considered to be one of the top available defensemen on the market. According to multiple reports, he is expected to sign a two-year, $10 million deal ($5m AAV) with the Flyers.
Fletcher said that the Flyers have been exploring ways to acquire a right-shot defenseman and that he believes DeAngelo can be an asset in a multitude of ways.
“Tony is a player with very good offensive talent, he moves the puck well, he can run the power play,” Fletcher said. “He’s had a couple of 50-point seasons. We think not only will he produce offensively, but he’ll allow some of our forwards to have a better chance to get to their games offensively, as well.”
One knock on DeAngelo has been his defense, but he believes he’s made strides in that area.
“You have got to defend,” DeAngelo said. “I think I’ve gotten better and better each year. I continue to improve and plan on improving even more this year. ... [What] I think the fans would appreciate the most of me is that no matter what I do, I have passion for the game. The compete level that I have and the will to do whatever it takes to win. I think that’s the Philly mentality. I think that’s what I can bring and they will appreciate that.”
Additionally, Fletcher said that DeAngelo’s offensive prowess can help the team spend less time in its own zone, an area that he expressed concern about last season.
“We wanted to get him so we don’t have to defend as much,” Fletcher said. “I think he’ll complement some of the players we have pretty well. Provorov and Sanheim in terms of left-shots are both really strong defenders. And Tony, I think, can complement those players a little bit as well.”
DeAngelo also comes with a litany of character concerns. According to multiple reports while he was playing for the Rangers, DeAngelo was involved in a physical altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev in January of the 2020-21 season. As a result, the Rangers placed DeAngelo on waivers. After he cleared waivers and spent the remainder of the season on the team’s taxi squad, the Rangers placed him on unconditional waivers and bought out the rest of his contract.
In 2014, DeAngelo was suspended twice by the Ontario Hockey League for violating its harassment, abuse, and diversity policy while playing for the Sarnia Sting. The OHL’s policy covers “homophobic, racist, and sexist language.”
In a statement on Friday, Fletcher addressed some of the character questions regarding the newest Flyers defenseman.
“We’re very happy to add Tony to our team and I know he is very excited to join the Flyers,” Fletcher said. “We did our due diligence and we strongly believe in Tony and his ability to help our team. He is a right-handed shot who moves the puck extremely well and will drive offense from the back end for us.”
DeAngelo has also been in the spotlight for his social media use. After Twitter banned former president Donald Trump in the wake of the Capitol riots last year, DeAngelo called the platform a “disgrace” and deleted his own account. He also faced backlash for minimizing the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter.
“He’s somebody that certainly has had some incidents in his past that have probably gotten him into some trouble,” said Fletcher. “He’s paid the consequences for those actions. We believe he’s learned from them. ... He’s older, he’s maturing, and from all accounts he did a good job both on and off the ice last season.”
The trade comes in the wake of a “multi-layered pelvic injury” to first-pairing defenseman Ryan Ellis, whose availability for the start of the 2022-23 season remains in question. Ellis, 31, suffered the injury in the 2021-22 preseason and played only four regular-season games for the Flyers in his first year with the team.
Fletcher acknowledged Friday that there is still some concern regarding Ellis’ prognosis and timeline.
“There’s been concern for a while,” Fletcher said. “He’s made progress. He very well could be ready early, but there’s certainly a chance that it could drive into the season. I do believe he’ll play again. I’ve always felt that. But the timing’s a little murkier, and frankly the focus is a little bit more on making sure he gets healthy and can get back.”
