It’s more than expected to be a summer of change for the Philadelphia Flyers. A new GM and President of Hockey Operations have already been decided. The rebuild is coming and with that could see a few players finding new homes. One of those could be Tony DeAngelo.
We’ve long talked about what could be the ramifications of DeAngelo’s multi-game scratches to end the season. Neither coach nor player went into much detail on the subject. DeAngelo did admit that he didn’t agree with it, though. It’s clear that there is a strained relationship between DeAngelo and John Tortorella.
Ideally, one would assume that the Flyers would like to repair that and come into the season on a fresh note. It would be best for everyone involved and DeAngelo could work on bouncing back. But it appears that they may be trying to cut ties all together. According to Anthony DiMarco of The Fourth Period, the Flyers are reportedly exploring the trade market for DeAngelo.
"“I’ve heard that the Flyers will explore ways to move DeAngelo and may be willing to retain money on the final year of his contract ($5 million AAV) to help facilitate a deal. Right hand shot defenseman are always a hot commodity in the NHL, so there may be a market for DeAngelo despite his overall poor season; he finished the year with 11 goals and 42 points in 70 games, which will help his value.”"
DeAngelo’s rights were acquired from the Hurricanes last July. He was subsequently signed to a two-year, 10M deal a few days following the draft day move. The Flyers, rightfully so, took some heat for the trade. DeAngelo’s controversial nature is well known, though there have been no known events to happen while he’s been in Philadelphia.
That aside, a right-handed defenseman that is only making 5M can be attractive to some. Especially if the Flyers retain money, which DiMarco mentions they are likely to do in order to entice other teams. Philadelphia is already expected to retain on a possible Kevin Hayes deal as well.
There are young defensemen waiting in the wings such as Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard. Cam York took a large step this season and spent a significant amount of time on the top pairing with Ivan Provorov to end the season. Travis Sanheim is likely to stay after his eight-year extension kicks in. And Nick Seeler has become both a fan-favorite and team-favorite as well after an impressive season.
It seems as if there isn’t much of a role or general space for a player like DeAngelo, especially after the lackluster season he had. He did lead the team with 19 power play points and averaged the second most ice time (22:04) this season. He did, however, post his lowest point total in a full season (42) since 2018-19 where he had 30 points with the Rangers.
The Flyers are DeAngelo’s third team in the last three seasons. He’s played for four total teams since entering the league in 2016-17. Tortorella’s message has been loud and clear since he was hired. If you’re not a believer, he doesn’t want you. DeAngelo said he wants to stay, but it seems like there is more that meets the eye behind the scenes that could see him gone this summer.