A little over a year ago, the Flyers acquired Tony DeAngelo in a trade with the Hurricanes on Day 2 of the NHL draft.
On Friday, they placed him on unconditional waivers, ending his stint with his hometown team at just one season. The rebuilding Flyers had been reportedly trying to trade DeAngelo to the Hurricanes for almost three weeks. Apparently, the deal never got to the finish line.
The Flyers placed DeAngelo on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract buyout, a source confirmed. If he goes unclaimed, he'll become an unrestricted free agent. Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli was the first to report that news.
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The decision marks Danny Briere's third significant subtraction of the offseason. Last month, the Flyers' general manager moved Ivan Provorov to the Blue Jackets and Kevin Hayes to the Blues.
For DeAngelo, the defenseman's Philly homecoming finished unceremoniously as he was benched for the final five games of the season.
"I know that's probably a big topic for you guys, Tony didn't play the last five games, so something happened, right?" head coach John Tortorella said in April. "That's going to stay between Tony and I and the team."
DeAngelo, a competitive and fiery type of player, qualities Tortorella commended last summer, didn't like the decision but accepted it.
NHL
"He's the coach of the team, so you've got to respect that and I respect what he does," he said in April. "Do I agree with it, what happened in the last five games? Absolutely not. I think it's ridiculous that I didn't play the last five. That's one thing. But he's also the coach of the team. It's not my job to decide that."
The Flyers acquired DeAngelo and a 2022 seventh-round pick in the trade with Carolina last July. They sent a 2024 second-round pick, 2023 third-round pick and 2022 fourth-round pick to Carolina. They wanted a righty-shot insurance plan for Ryan Ellis, who missed all of last season and might not play again because of a complex injury in his pelvic region.
DeAngelo, a restricted free agent when traded to the Flyers, then signed a two-year, $10 million deal.
It was an interesting move considering the Flyers did not look like they were going to contend for the playoffs.
The 27-year-old's season had its ups and downs and waves of emotions.
With 42 points over 70 games, DeAngelo led all Flyers defensemen in goals (11) and assists (31). Defensively, there were moments in which Tortorella wanted more out of DeAngelo. He owned a team-worst minus-27 rating.
DeAngelo didn't play on a four-game road trip in December because of a benching and then having to go home to be with his family following the death of his grandmother. He received a two-game suspension in March for spearing Corey Perry and missed a game in November because of an injury.
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