Tony DeAngelo should be out of chance

Even after a year of career, Tony DeAngelo was not only identified by his game last season. The baggage has accompanied DeAngelo throughout his career – baggage that the New York Rangers knew when they acquired it. But because of their potential on the ice, which they finally saw more than glimpses of these past two seasons, they invested in the defender.

So far, of course. The Rangers put the right-handed in the resignations on Sunday.

The difference now, unlike last year, is that your game is not enough to mask your off-ice incidents, which have become more unsustainable than ever. And teams usually only develop awareness when there is no high-caliber game to defend their decision making, since winning is, and always will be, the highest priority.

The Rangers are the NHL’s third DeAngelo team since the Tampa Bay Lightning summoned him in 2014, despite ‘character’ flaws, including suspensions for abusing officers and using an injury against his teammate while with Sarnia Sting of OHL, scoring two instances breaking the league’s diversity, abuse and harassment policy. After the draft, then general manager Steve Yzerman acknowledged DeAngelo’s past, expectations and no tolerance for any future misconduct.

Although DeAngelo made an offensive impact with Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, he saw himself as a healthy risk on several occasions and was negotiated with Arizona Coyotes in 2016, before he even made it to the NHL. He made his debut in November of that year and just a few months later, these disciplinary issues came up with a three-game suspension for ‘Physical Abuse of Staff’.

In that off-season, DeAngelo moved again, this time to New York, together with the seventh general choice, in exchange for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. DeAngelo played eight of the first 10 games at the start of the 2017-18 season before being sent off from AHL. Although the change was disconcerting at the time, and it looked like poor asset management due to its state of reconstruction and the blue line around it, the controversy once again ensued. This time, for his interactions with fans on social networks.

Eventually, due to injuries, DeAngelo was promoted to the NHL, although his stint lasted shortly after suffering an injury that ended his season.

The following season, DeAngelo had a “clean slate” under the command of a new coach, David Quinn. Stylistically, the defender fit Quinn’s style of play between his puck possession and bite game. And Quinn’s practical, communication-based approach seemed to be the right choice to help him reach his potential and remain responsible and disciplined.

The process was not perfectly smooth; DeAngelo’s discipline, or lack thereof, has become a handicap on some points, as has his defensive game. And those ice stumbles were usually resolved quickly, whether he was on the bench or had a lot of scratches. But the reward of the driving game and the impact of power play seemed to balance the risk of their failures for the team.

The heat maps below help to reflect both sides of the game. The top line represents its offensive impact, where the red areas show where more attack is generated. The bottom line is the defensive zone, where red again shows where more attack is created – and therein lies the problem, because the attack is created in both ends with the defender on the ice.

His future in New York was already in question because he does not repress many offenses against, let alone the growing baggage he carries.

Jacob Trouba signed for another six seasons, four of which have a no-go clause, for an average of $ 8 million. Adam Fox overtook DeAngelo on both ends of the ice on the depth chart on the right and is likely to see a significant increase in 2022. DeAngelo, on the other hand, has just signed his third contract, a two-year deal worth $ 4.8 millions on average. His next contract could be even heavier if his offensive production continues, but this is a big investment for a defender who is a risk on one side of the ice and is likely to remain third on the depth table because of concerns about defensive use. A team cannot afford to spend so much on a defender whose use must be monitored so carefully, or on someone who requires a strong defensive presence from his peer to stay afloat.

In an effort to balance the defense and potentially increase DeAngelo’s value to the team, the coaches tried to deflect him to the left. The experiment was short-lived due to poor performance on the training ground, which put his future even more in question, as the Rangers have a defensive perspective on Nils Lundkvist, who is expected to become an impacting NHL player.

And, of course, there is the rest of the package which is Tony DeAngelo. His presence on social media more than just crossed the line, but he absolutely crossed it. The defender’s views are dangerous, between promoting conspiracies about US electoral fraud and denying the catastrophic impact of COVID-19. That was until he publicly announced that he was leaving Twitter for another platform in Parler.

The team not only supported DeAngelo, but sometimes expanded his platform, which may have allowed his behavior.

That is, until this season.

A player’s off-ice actions can be ignored or set aside if his play on the ice brings the team closer to victory. Last year, DeAngelo did this with his attack – especially when deployed with the team’s elite striker, Panarin.

DeAngelo then stood out for all the wrong reasons in the team’s Return to Game. But it was only a sample of three games after a long layoff, and he was not the only member of the team to fight.

This season, however, was a different story. In Game 1, DeAngelo’s overreaction to a hook penalty led to a minor second for unsportsmanlike conduct – something that was particularly noticeable in an empty arena.

As a result, he sat in the next game. And as the team did so well in the game in which he sat, the defender also lost the next game.

When DeAngelo returned, he was missing something that was essential to his game last year: a role in the first unit of power play. Fox, the second year that has already surpassed him on the depth chart with uniform strength, became the quarterback of the first unit. And because of his two-way skills, particularly defending the blue line to keep the game in the offensive zone, he has remained in the first unit ever since. DeAngelo joined the first unit, in addition to Fox, in the last two games, and finally won the first point there against the Penguins on Saturday.

As a whole, the team did not allow as many shots or chances of quality with the DeAngelo implanted – the few that they allowed, however, stood out for all the wrong reasons. And he hasn’t been playing hard. While his partners, a rotation by Jack Johnson and Brendan Smith, may be dragging him down, his salary dictates expectations for his level of play.

One point in six games is certainly not enough for a defender who brings toxic energy into the locker room.

The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello reported an altercation after Saturday’s loss between Alexandar Georgiev and DeAngelo. This happened shortly after a communication failure on the ice between the defender and the goalkeeper, just before the Penguins’ winning goal.

The following morning, DeAngelo was put on hold, potentially ending his career in New York. If not claimed, he can be assigned to Hartford, the taxi squad, or remain on the team in the hope that it will push him to change his attitude. Quinn already noticed that he won’t be on the schedule on Monday night, regardless.

Should DeAngelo have another chance?

Players with fewer problems, but generally less perceived advantage, generally do not. There are so many places available at the NHL level, which should be a privilege. DeAngelo has had numerous chances in the championship, and in New York specifically.

Teams do not always jump to make a change after there is some kind of internal strife between players, such as a fight in training.

This incident, however, is only one piece of the puzzle.

This situation forced the Rangers’ hands more than ever with DeAngelo. And this time, he is not playing at such a high level to justify his antics, as is often the case in hockey. So, what’s next?