Islanders insert defenseman Tony DeAngelo in lineup to help boost power play
Tony DeAngelo of the New York Islanders skates against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 25, 2025. Credit: Getty Images
Yes, his most recent former coach opined, it was surprising that it took controversial defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who made his Islanders debut on Saturday night, this long to find a new job in the NHL.
“He’s a great player,” said the Hurricanes’ Rod Brind’Amour, who coached DeAngelo in 2021-22 and last season. “He’s an elite offensive player. When he gets the puck, one of the best passers in the game. Sees the game really, really well. We used him everywhere in the lineup. He certainly can run the power play as good as anybody. I thought he was getting signed this summer. Kind of surprised he didn’t. He’s too good a player not to be in this league.”
DeAngelo cleared waivers on Saturday after signing a one-year, $775,000 contract prorated for the rest of the season on Friday. Coach Patrick Roy inserted him into the Islanders’ lineup against the Hurricanes at UBS Arena, paired with the physical Alexander Romanov, with plans to have him quarterback the first power-play unit. The Islanders were seeking a season-high fourth straight win in the sixth game of a seven-game homestand.
The Islanders made salary-cap space for DeAngelo by placing Noah Dobson (lower body) on long-term injured reserve after he was injured in Monday’s 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets. Defenseman Mike Reilly (heart condition) also is on LTIR.
DeAngelo, 29, was playing in Russia and had six goals and 26 assists in 34 KHL games for St. Petersburg SKA.
He had three goals and eight assists in 31 games for the Hurricanes last season while playing on a one-year, $1.675 million deal. He also had 10 goals and 41 assists in 64 games for the Hurricanes in 2021-22 before signing a two-year, $10 million deal with the Flyers.
The Flyers bought him out after one season just as the Rangers bought him out of a two-year, $9.6 million deal in 2021.
“I’m not getting into a conversation,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said shortly after DeAngelo’s signing was announced on Friday and before his team lost to the Islanders, 3-1. “I’m glad Tony’s getting another chance. There are a lot of good things about Tony DeAngelo. Just text him.”
DeAngelo’s current coach was happy to insert him onto the Islanders’ 14-for-115 power play, which ranks last in the NHL.
“I’m excited to see him in,” Roy said. “Like I said to him before the game, ‘Just play. Don’t worry about the structure. Don’t worry about anything. Just play your game and we’ll fix things.
“I think it’s a good fit for our team in a way that he’s a good puck-mover and I think he’ll be helpful on the power play. And five-on-five, obviously.”
The scouting report on the 5-11, 180-pound DeAngelo, who is from Sewell, New Jersey — he’s wearing No. 4 with the Islanders rather than his familiar No. 77 — is that he is a potent force on the man advantage but a defensive liability at even strength.
Questions also have arisen about his relationship with teammates, starting with his tenure with the Rangers. But he was said to be fantastic in the dressing room with the Hurricanes, and his new teammates also said they’ve heard nothing but good things about him.
Roy said he believes he’ll be a “good fit” in a veteran-filled dressing room.
“I think he’s a great addition to our team,” Bo Horvat said. “I’ve gotten so many texts from people saying how much they love him. I think he impacts the room in a good way.”
“I think he’ll be accepted great,” Brock Nelson said. “I don’t know him personally. I know quite a few people that have played with him that messaged me and said that they loved him and said he’s a great guy.”
“We got to meet him this morning,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “He seems like a nice guy. He was a pain in the butt to play against, but it’s good to have him on our side. He’s got some grit to him and he definitely has a skill level with the puck.”
Notes & quotes: With DeAngelo joining the lineup, defenseman Dennis Cholowski was a healthy scratch . . . Forward Maxim Tsyplakov was eligible to play after completing a three-game suspension, but Roy did not alter his forward lines. “They all deserve to play,” he said. “Max understands that.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
