Carolina Hurricanes sign lightning rod defenseman Tony DeAngelo to free agent deal
It took a few weeks longer than originally anticipated, but the Carolina Hurricanes are bringing back defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
The Hurricanes announced Monday night that they have reached a one-year, $1.675 million free-agent deal with DeAngelo, who played the 2021-22 season with Carolina before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in July 2022.
“Tony is an elite offensive defenseman who had a great season with us in 2021-22,” Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “We wanted to re-sign him this summer and now we’re thrilled to bring him back..”
On July 14 of this year, the Flyers placed DeAngelo on unconditional waivers, with the intent of buying out his contract; unclaimed the next day, DeAngelo became an unrestricted free agent.
So ended weeks of intrigue of whether the Canes would bring him back. Waddell said July 1, the day NHL free agency began, that a trade with Philadelphia had been struck “in principle” to reacquire DeAngelo.
The original agreement would have had the Flyers retaining half of DeAngelo’s $5 million salary for 2023-24. Buying out DeAngelo will cost the Flyers $3.33 million in the next two seasons, but only $1.667 million will be counted against the salary cap next season.
Initially, the delay in completing a trade was said to have been caused by NHL rules put in place to prevent “boomerang” trades midseason. July 8 marked a year since the 2022 trade to Philadelphia.
The defenseman was a polarizing figure with the Hurricanes after signing a one-year, $1 million free-agent contract before the 2021-22 season. A number of Canes fans were angered, noting DeAngelo’s controversial past that included suspensions in junior hockey and an off-the-ice incident with a former New York Rangers teammate that led the Rangers to buy him out and jettison him.
But DeAngelo, 27, had a calmer, more productive season once with the Hurricanes and playing for coach Rod Brind’Amour. Replacing defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who had left in free agency to sign with the New Jersey Devils, DeAngelo finished with 51 points in 64 games, then another 10 points in 14 playoff games.
“He came in and did everything we asked him to do,” Waddell said last year. “Players liked him, coach liked him.”
DeAngelo quarterbacked a power-play unit -- the Canes were 13th in the NHL in 2021-22 -- and had some snarl to his game, picking up an early season “Gordie Howe hat trick” — a goal, assist and a fight — that earned him the admiration of some Canes fans. He often played with defenseman Jaccob Slavin as his D partner, Slavin covering for any of his defensive deficiencies as DeAngelo provided offense.
Unable to come to terms with DeAngelo on a new contract, the Hurricanes traded him to Philadelphia on July 8, 2022 for three draft picks. DeAngelo, who grew up in South Philly and said he was happy to be playing for his “hometown” team, soon signed a two-year, $10 million contract.
DeAngelo had 42 points in 70 games under first-year Flyers coach John Tortorella. But there was apparent friction near the end of the season as DeAngelo was made a healthy scratch for five games, a decision that DeAngelo called ridiculous.
The Hurricanes, the Metropolitan Division champions in 2022-23, picked up veteran defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere before the NHL trade deadline this past season. Gostisbehere was an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
DeAngelo’s return adds a fourth right-handed D-man to the roster along with Brent Burns, Brett Pesce and Jalen Chatfield. He should bolster the power play, which slipped to 20th in the NHL this past season.
In returning to Carolina, DeAngelo will be coming back to a coaching staff, team and organization that he said last year helped him mature “a lot” in his one season.
“I had a year off from hockey (after leaving New York), sitting around, waiting to get back in,” he said last year. “When I had my opportunity to get back in the league and go to Carolina, I just took advantage of it and tried to mature. I still played with that fire and that passion but I held the line on it really well.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Carolina Hurricanes sign lightning rod defenseman Tony DeAngelo to free agent deal."
