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Anthony DeAngelo

Hurricanes Notes: Pesce, Teravainen, DeAngelo

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Hurricanes blueliner Brett Pesce has switched agents, reports Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.  After working with Edge Sports Management, the defenseman is now represented by Wasserman’s Judd Moldaver.  The timing of the change is notable since the 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract.  Pesce has emerged as a quality top-three defender over the past few years and set a new career-high in points last season with 30.  He’s undoubtedly in line to land a sizable raise on his current $4.025MM AAV but with Brady Skjei also in need of a new deal, Carolina probably won’t be able to afford to keep both.  Pesce made it clear that his preference is to remain with the Hurricanes but earlier this summer, GM Don Waddell noted that the team wasn’t close to re-signing any of their pending UFAs.

Elsewhere in Carolina:

  • Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer wonders if Carolina would be better off just letting winger Teuvo Teravainen play out the final year of his deal and then move on next summer. The 29-year-old is coming off a down year that saw him score just 12 goals in 68 games but has a good enough track record that it would still cost more than his current $5.4MM AAV to extend him.  With Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis both restricted free agents next summer, they may need Teravainen’s money to get those two locked up to long-term agreements.
  • In his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Cory Lavalette sat down with blueliner Anthony DeAngelo, a mid-summer signing after his contract was bought out by Philadelphia. Despite their strong defensive depth, he opted to go back to an organization that he was comfortable with over one where he would have had a better shot at a bigger role and more playing time.  After what he called a season full of inconsistent play with the Flyers, he’ll be looking to stabilize things somewhat before testing the market again next summer.

Snapshots: DeAngelo, Sutter, Kowal

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Now that Anthony DeAngelo is back with the Carolina Hurricanes under a one-year agreement, questions arose around the desire of the Philadelphia Flyers to buy out his contract, merely a year after signing it. Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer shed some insight on this, getting a quote from DeAngelo saying, “The coach and I wound up not fitting together, I guess that would be the main reason” (Tweet Link).

This is not the first instance of a player not fitting with head coach John Tortorella in Philadelphia, or even over the course of Tortorella’s career. Arguably the Flyers’ top offensive player last season, Tortorella infamously benched forward Kevin Hayes earlier in the season, leading to a divorce in late June, as Hayes was traded to the St.Louis Blues.

In his only season with Philadelphia, DeAngelo actually received more playing than at any other point in his career, sitting second out of all Flyers’ players averaging just over 22 minutes a night. However, his effort on the defensive side of the puck, or lack thereof, was called into question again, evidenced by his low oiSV%. Historically, Tortorella has not only desired but required a high defensive work ethic even from more of his offensively gifted talent.

Other snapshots:

  • The Calgary Wranglers of the AHL have announced a one-year deal to retain their captain, Brett Sutter. A veteran with 60 games played at the NHL level earlier in his career, Sutter is most known for his play in the minor leagues. Playing 1,044 games over 17 seasons spent with the Calgary Wranglers, Ontario Reign, Iowa Wild, and Charlotte Checkers, Sutter has accrued 190 goals and 263 assists, wearing the “C” for three different organizations.
  • In more unfortunate news, the NHL Alumni Association announced the passing of former Buffalo Sabre, Joe Kowal today at the age of 67. Kowal was drafted by the Sabres with the 33rd overall pick in the 1976 NHL Draft and managed 22 games in Buffalo over two years at the NHL level. All of us at PHR extend our condolences to Kowal’s family.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Tony DeAngelo

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3:49 PM: PuckPedia confirms it will be a one-year, $1.675MM contract for DeAngelo and the Hurricanes.

2:12 PM: The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in on a one-year deal for defenseman Tony DeAngelo in the $1.6MM range, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The signing concludes a weeks-long courtship of DeAngelo by the Canes, who previously had the right-shot defender on their roster for the 2021-22 campaign.

DeAngelo’s former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, bought out the 27-year-old earlier this month after a proposed trade to send him back to Carolina at 50% salary retention fell through. While he is coming off three straight 40-point campaigns, his defensive deficiencies and a laundry list of off-ice controversies are nothing to shy away from. He’s now the only player in NHL history to get bought out twice.

Despite leading the Flyers’ defense in points and finishing second in average time on ice, head coach John Tortorella scratched DeAngelo multiple times to finish off last season, fracturing the relationship between the player and his hometown team. The league blocked the reported trade sending DeAngelo back to Carolina at a cap cost of $2.5MM, half of his $5MM salary with the Flyers, citing cap circumvention as their reasoning.

DeAngelo now heads back to Raleigh, where the Hurricanes have demonstrated an ability to cover up the defender’s deficiencies that arise from his one-dimensional play. Recording ten goals and 51 points in 64 games, DeAngelo recorded a career-high +30 with Carolina during his only season there and spent most of his time alongside Jaccob Slavin on the team’s top pairing, whose elite shutdown play helped DeAngelo play to his strengths offensively without hurting the team in the goals against column.

The question is now where DeAngelo fits in on Carolina’s defense, which has seen a significant makeover with Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov added to the fold in back-to-back offseasons after DeAngelo’s departure. Right-shot Brett Pesce remains with Carolina, but without a contract extension in place beyond next season, he’s a likely trade candidate as the offseason draws on.

A looming wild card is where Carolina stands in trade talks for San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, whose status on the block is no secret after a Norris Trophy-winning campaign. Multiple reports state the Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins are the two frontrunners for his services, which would undoubtedly plug up a deep right side and make it hard for DeAngelo to earn much ice time in his second stint with Carolina. Could DeAngelo find himself on the move again in a matter of weeks as part of a trade package for Karlsson? Per Seravalli’s initial report, it’s unclear whether his short-term pact with the Hurricanes includes trade protection.

A $1.6MM cap hit leaves Carolina with roughly $900K in cap space as things stand, per CapFriendly, so DeAngelo is likely the last of their major free agent additions. The team has been quite busy on the open market this summer, adding Michael Bunting and Brendan Lemieux in addition to DeAngelo and Orlov.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Philadelphia Flyers Waive Tony DeAngelo For Purposes Of Buyout

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Saturday: DeAngelo has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports, paving the way for the buyout to be completed.

Friday: It appears the rumored trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes won’t be happening after all. Today, the Flyers placed defenseman Tony DeAngelo on unconditional waivers, which CapFriendly initially clarified is for the purpose of contract termination. The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor later contradicted CapFriendly’s initial report, claiming DeAngelo’s waiver placement is for the purposes of a buyout, which was later confirmed.

After the Flyers acquired DeAngelo’s negotiating rights from the Hurricanes last summer and promptly signed him to a two-year, $10MM deal, his relationship with head coach John Tortorella became tenuous, culminating in a string of healthy scratches to end the season. Reporting suggested the Flyers and Hurricanes had worked out a deal to send DeAngelo back to Raleigh this offseason, which would have involved the Flyers retaining half of DeAngelo’s $5MM cap hit on the final season of his contract and receiving center prospect Massimo Rizzo in return. However, the league blocked the trade at the time, claiming it circumvented the salary cap, and didn’t permit the deal to go through until July 8, 2023, exactly one year after the initial trade, which sent DeAngelo’s rights to Philadelphia.

The trade never actually went through, though, and now DeAngelo will find himself free to sign with any team that will have him – including Carolina. The buyout option became available to the Flyers after settling with forward Noah Cates before his arbitration hearing.

The buyout will cost the Flyers $1.67MM against the cap for the next two seasons compared to a one-time $2.5MM cap hit next year via salary retention. While the team is in the throes of a rebuild and doesn’t anticipate spending to the salary cap, the decision to buy DeAngelo out rather than trade him does offer slightly more short-term financial relief.

DeAngelo is an elite offensive-minded defender but a rather significant defensive liability, which chiefly contributed to his fallout with Tortorella in Philadelphia. When taking into consideration he’s played on three teams in the past three seasons and has now been bought out twice in that time frame, it seems unlikely he’ll find any long-term commitments on the open market.

Moving on from DeAngelo will certainly shift more point-producing burden onto youngster Cam York, who looked quite capable last season with 20 points in 54 games. The 22-year-old signed a two-year, $3.2MM extension with the Flyers earlier this week.

DeAngelo, 27, led Flyers defensemen in scoring last season with 42 points in 70 games. It was his third straight full season posting more than 40 points – he played just six games in 2020-21 before getting involved in a post-game altercation with then-teammate Alexandar Georgiev, which resulted in a waiver placement and assignment to the team’s taxi squad for the remainder of the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Tony DeAngelo

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Two days later and no trade in sight. The Philadelphia Flyers were closing in on a deal that would send Tony DeAngelo back to the Carolina Hurricanes over the weekend, but things have hit a snag.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that it is likely because of some hesitation from the NHL, over potential cap circumvention. DeAngelo was meant to go to Carolina with the Flyers retaining some salary, but since he was traded from the Hurricanes less than a year ago, it raised some red flags.

As LeBrun explains, this isn’t exactly a regular situation. The Hurricanes traded him as an RFA, meaning they didn’t sign this contract, and Daniel Briere, the Flyers’ GM, wasn’t in place yet when Philadelphia inked this deal. There’s no real circumvention here, just a player that has worn out his welcome and a team looking to create cap space.

The league is expected to meet with both teams in Nashville this week for the draft, where they will have to decide. Either sign off on it early, or force the teams to wait until July 9, when the calendar year since last summer’s trade would be up.

It does still seem like things are headed in that direction, though a two-week delay can change things considerably at this time of year.

Poll: What Has Been The Most Impactful Pre-Draft Trade?

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The 2023 NHL Draft is now only three days away, and there has already been a flurry of activity in the NHL trade market. Yesterday, we saw the Colorado Avalanche acquire Ryan Johansen from the Nashville Predators, and the Arizona Coyotes acquire Sean Durzi from the Los Angeles Kings. Following up on those deals, there is heavy expectation that the St. Louis Blues will acquire Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Carolina Hurricanes will add back Anthony DeAngelo to their lineup. If yesterday didn’t bring enough action, it’s also expected that the Kings are close to acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets.

After losing Nazem Kadri to the Calgary Flames last offseason, the Avalanche had a very difficult time replacing the void left by Kadri on the team’s second forward line. Throughout this past season, Colorado originally tried to patrol Alex Newhook in that role, but after failing to live up to expectations, J.T. Compher was thrust into that role. Compher did excel, scoring 17 goals and 35 assists this season, the best statistical performance of his career. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, Compher is set to enter unrestricted free agency, and Colorado may not have the cap space to retain him.

By acquiring Johansen from the Predators, the Avalanche clearly wanted to make an outside move to complete their second line. This past season, Johansen did not play particularly well, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists in 55 games, having his season ended by a foot injury in February. However, the year prior, Johansen was a proficient offensive player in Nashville, scoring 26 goals and 37 assists.

Sticking in the Central Division, the expected acquisition of Hayes for the Blues should fill the void left behind by Ryan O’Reilly last season. Hayes has very much had an up-and-down career, having much of his time spent in Philadelphia hampered by injuries. This past season, he did have the best offensive output so far with the Flyers, scoring 18 goals and 36 assists in 81 games. It was well known that Hayes and head coach John Tortorella sparred quite consistently, and it was becoming more and more clear that his time in Philadelphia would be coming to an end.

In Los Angeles, the Kings’ trade of Durzi largely indicated that the team was trying to move out money to acquire better talent. In Durzi, Los Angeles largely had a defenseman that was exceptional at moving the puck but was not as responsible on the defensive side of the game. He did score 38 points last year for the Kings, but the underlying defensive metrics were not positive. Opening up $1.7MM with that trade, it has now been reported that the Kings are expected to acquire Dubois, as well as sign him to an extension. Not only will this move allow the Kings to strengthen their second line, but by being able to move Phillip Danault to the third-line center position, Los Angeles may be one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference.

Lastly, the Hurricanes are bringing back a familiar face, as reports indicate that Carolina and Philadelphia are working on a trade. Last offseason, the Hurricanes felt that DeAngelo’s asking price on his next contract was too rich for their blood, and moved him to the Flyers for three draft picks. By acquiring DeAngelo, Carolina now has four defensemen set to hit unrestricted free agency next season, even though it does strengthen their blue line for next year.

After all the moves up to this point, which player do you think will have the biggest impact on their next team?

Hurricanes, Flyers Working On A Tony DeAngelo Trade

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A busy day for trades has gotten even busier, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers are closing in on a deal that would send Anthony DeAngelo back to Carolina. DeAngelo most recently played for the Hurricanes back during the 2021-22 season before he found his way to Philadelphia.

Already carrying an imposing top-four, the Hurricanes appear to be well on their way to making their defensive unit even better. Although he can be a bit of a liability on the defensive side of the puck, DeAngelo has been one of the better blue-line scorers over the past couple of seasons. He has already shown the ability to score 10+ goals a year, and his ability to move the puck is by far his best asset.

Much like the deal that will be sending Kevin Hayes to the St. Louis Blues, it appears that the deal for DeAngelo may take some time as well. The Flyers should be expected to take back some salary in the trade, or another team may be involved. It was only one season ago that the Hurricanes decided that DeAngelo’s asking price was too rich for their blood, and shipped him off to Philadelphia. If the Flyers are willing to price down DeAngelo’s contract more to Carolina’s liking, this would seem like an ideal fit for both the team and the player.

Although the trade for DeAngelo ultimately makes Carolina a better team on paper, it does complicate their cap situation for next season. Already needing to sign Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Jalen Chatfield, DeAngelo also becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season, joining that list. If DeAngelo and Skjei are more inclined to sign team-friendly contracts to stay in Carolina, this deal may make the burden of trading Pesce this offseason much lighter for the Hurricanes.

As far as the Flyers’ return goes, not much is known at this point. Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic reports that a trade is indeed in the works between the two teams, but the Flyers will not be receiving much in return. Last offseason, Philadelphia acquired DeAngelo from Carolina for a package including a second-round pick in 2024, a conditional third-round pick in 2023 (which would become the Flyers’ third-round pick), and a fourth-round pick in 2022. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that the Flyers would likely only get a prospect from Carolina, although that prospect is currently unknown up to this point.

In any case, it is another example of two teams headed in two separate directions. After the news from today, with both Hayes and DeAngelo, the Flyers are committed to clearing house, and the Hurricanes are looking to bulk up for a postseason run in 2024.

East Notes: Haula, Hurricanes, Teravainen, Bertuzzi

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Center Erik Haula is among the list of pending unrestricted free agents that the Devils will have to re-sign or replace this summer but if he has his way, he won’t be going anywhere.  Speaking at his end-of-season media scrum (video link), the 32-year-old indicated that he doesn’t want to play for another team and relayed that in his meeting with GM Tom Fitzgerald earlier today.  Haula came over in an offseason swap last year with Boston and was a capable secondary producer, notching 14 goals and a career-high 27 assists during the regular season before adding six more points in their 12 playoff contests.  Haula should be in line for a raise from the $2.375MM AAV on his expiring contract, especially with the UFA market being weak down the middle.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • CapFriendly clarified (Twitter link) that the conditional third-round pick that the Hurricanes will receive from the Flyers this year as part of the Anthony DeAngelo trade is the best of Philadelphia’s three third-round selections, not the lowest as originally believed. Accordingly, Carolina will pick up Philadelphia’s own pick, slotted 71st overall.  The Flyers still owe the Hurricanes one more selection as part of the swap, their 2024 second-round choice.
  • Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen was at practice today as Carolina prepares for the Eastern Conference Final. However, as Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer notes (Twitter link), the 28-year-old remains in a non-contact jersey.  Teravainen has been out for nearly a month since undergoing wrist surgery and is coming up on the early part of the four-to-eight-week recovery timeline.  With him skating, it’s possible that he could be back at some point in this series which would be a big boost to their attack even with him having a quieter regular season than usual when he had 37 points in 68 games.
  • While Detroit was able to lock up Dylan Larkin to a max-term extension before the trade deadline, they weren’t able to do so with Tyler Bertuzzi, resulting in him being moved to Boston. MLive’s Ansar Khan notes that the Red Wings only were willing to offer the pending UFA a four-year extension.  However, in a thin free agent market and on the heels of a strong showing in the playoffs with 10 points in seven games, it’s quite likely that the 28-year-old will be able to get a longer-term contract in July (or earlier, if the Bruins able to free up cap space to re-sign him).

Tony DeAngelo Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety has given a two-game suspension to Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo for spearing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that DeAngelo does not engage with Perry in any way prior to spearing him, choosing to deliver this strike when Perry is not looking at him.

What causes this play to rise to the level of a suspension is the premeditated nature of the foul against an unsuspecting opponent well after the whistle, the area of the body where the spear was delivered, and the force of the blow. 

The DoPS notes that DeAngelo has no relevant history in this case, with a previous suspension coming automatically for abuse of an official in 2017. He did receive a five-minute major and game misconduct for the spreading incident last night.

DeAngelo admitted that he was “trying to give [Perry] a little shot” but did not try to hit him in the groin. He’ll miss games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins in what has been a tumultuous season for the Flyers.

Flyers Place Cam Atkinson On IR

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It has been a strange year thus far for Flyers winger Cam Atkinson.  Originally diagnosed as being out day-to-day with an upper-body injury in training camp, the 33-year-old has still yet to play this season.  He was said to be nearing a return and has been participating in practices but CapFriendly noted last night (Twitter link) that the veteran has now been moved to injured reserve.

The placement stems from them needing a roster spot for Olle Lycksell who was recalled on Thursday.  Originally, it was supposed to be Anthony DeAngelo ceding his spot as the defenseman was away from the team for personal reasons, allowing Philadelphia to designate him as non-roster status.  However, Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that DeAngelo is back at practice today which takes that option off the table.

It’s possible that Atkinson might have suffered some kind of setback, one that is going to take at least a little bit of time to heal so they’ve opted to simply place him on IR until he’s cleared to return.  Because he hasn’t played this season, Philadelphia is eligible to back-date the placement; accordingly, he’s eligible to be activated at any time.  For a few weeks now, it looked like the 700-game veteran was just about ready to come back but now, that wait appears likely to be even longer.

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