The Curious Case Of Tony DeAngelo
Bruce Bennett. Getty Images.What to do, what to do…
Let's get some facts out of the way here first. Tony DeAngelo had a MONSTER '19-20 offensively playing on a $925k one-year contract he wanted no part of (hence a brief holdout) but ultimately had no leverage besides skipping the season. He's entering the first of three more RFA years, this time with arbitration rights, and will almost certainly command ~$5M/per. The Rangers right-side depth chart seems set ahead of him with Fox & Trouba and it's only a matter of time before Nils Lundkvist makes it a crowd. So exactly what the future holds between the mercurial Tony & the city of NY is anybody's guess.
THE GOOD
By virtually any offensive metric, he was as productive a blueliner as there was in the league. I'm talking Carlson. I'm talking Josi. Give DeAngelo their minutes & he's a 70-point player. And while #77 did well anchoring a top-ten power play, he was actually way better at even strength. He was 4th among defensemen in ES points & the three who finished ahead of him saw 3-4 more ES minutes per night. Based on how he finished the year prior once he started seeing regular time (18 points in 29 games), this isn't just some outlier. TDA is also definitely a big locker room guy and that shouldn't be dismissed. He brings some snarl & isn't afraid to defend himself or his teammates despite falling short of the old 6'/200 lb. d-man standard.
THE BAD
Well, there's not too many guys on the back end who have the defensive game to match this type of offensive production. DeAngelo is the ultimate in high-risk vs high-reward and that hasn't changed since before he was even drafted 19th overall. From DobberProspects.com in 2013:
DeAngelo is a hungry and aggressive undersized offensive defenseman who salivates when the puck is on his stick and his confidence in possession is off-the-charts as he dangles up the ice. Unfortunately, the toe-drags and high risk maneuvers occur too often and in ill-advised areas of the ice, leading to costly turnovers and offensive chances for the opposition. He will need to pick his spots better and manage his hot-tempered personality, all while improving his defensive game.
Nailed it. That's our pal Tony. Defense is and may always be an afterthought with him (although being shackled with Marc Staal certainly isn't doing any favors) but there's plenty of similar players who've proven valuable regardless. Yandle was never any better and half his offense came with the man advantage. Carlson stinks too. DeAngelo is basically Tyson Barrie - the same Tyson Barrie fans were clamoring for 4 years ago to play alongside Ryan McDonagh. We've certainly learned that overvaluing offense can be a mistake, but I don't think anyone would forecast TDA as more than a mid-pair offensive specialist to deploy advantageously.
THE OTHER
I don't care about his (or anyone's) politics. I don't care if he wants to get in the mix with people on Twitter & challenge them to a face-to-face. Whether I think someone's a great guy or an asshole doesn't matter. But DeAngelo is certainly outspoken and certainly doesn't plan to tone it down after releasing his own podcast recently. Nothing wrong with that. He does have an unfavorable history though and it's plausible to believe teams might be nervous about making a big commitment to a confrontational guy who loves his social media. I have no idea how a front office interprets that kinda stuff & I don't know if there's other players as engaged as he is, but I don't think it's a stretch to say some may see Tony as a bit of a risk off the ice as well.
If you're asking me what the Rangers should do here - which you're not, but I'm telling you anyway - I think it'd be prudent to ink him to a two-year deal around $5M/per. That will take him to his final RFA year, which is coincidentally when Fox's ELC ends. Perfect time to take DeAngelo's $5M, tack it onto Fox's entry-level salary & lock him up for something like 5 years @ $6M/per. Also it should be right around the time Lundkvist is NHL-ready for good.
If Tony simply maintains as a 50-point blueliner, he'll be an excellent trade asset with a year left of team control. Now obviously if a trade opportunity presents itself sooner to nail down a shutdown LHD or young help up the middle then by all means, go for it. It's just hard to envision a team moving a center yet having the money to pay DeAngelo what he's got coming. Swapping defenders who are polar opposites in terms of stick and skillset may be a little more attainable, but I'd bet on #77 sticking around a bit longer.