New York Rangers rumors: Would Brian Burke go after Tony DeAngelo for the Penguins
The Penguins have a new team in charge now. Yesterday they hired Ron Hextall as their new GM but also brought in Brian Burke as President of Hockey Operations.
They are now tasked with leading the future in Pittsburgh, and that sounds like adding talent for another Cup run. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin aren’t getting any younger, so time is of the essence.
Penguins still looking for a defenseman
When it comes to NHL Trade Rumors, the Penguins have been looking for a defenseman almost all season. One rumor had them close to landing St. Louis’ Vince Dunn. Then the wheels fell off with Jim Rutherford’s sudden resignation.
While questions around the Pens are focused on goaltending, Kris Letang isn’t getting any younger. The 33 year-old was rumored to have been close to being dealt before Pittsburgh ownership stopped it. Which makes people believe was a reason for Rutherford leaving.
So will the Penguins look at Tony DeAngelo as a potential future PP QB? The 25 year-old was 4th in scoring last season for defensemen and can handle the responsibilities.
A look back at what Brian Burke recently said about DeAngelo
“Whether you take a guy that’s got a reputation as a head case depends on the strength of your room,” Burke said just last week on Sportsnet. “For anyone to take on Tony DeAngelo, that GM has to believe that the culture in the locker room can set him straight.
“I’m not sure that’s the case here,” Burke said pointedly. “This is not a second chance for Tony DeAngelo, he’s on his third team already,” Burke went on. “You’ve got a right shot defenseman with a high skill-level – he’s got a very poor sense of timing.”
He then broke down the timeline of what went down with DeAngelo since his unsportsmanlike penalty and subsequent scratches.
Burke stated that if he was going to make a deal he’d request an interview with the player. “This kid is supposed to be well liked by his teammates, he’s not a problem in the room – he just has bad timing and no filter.”
The rant on DeAngelo concluded with this key statement, “I’d look into it but if I were another GM I probably wouldn’t.”
How you interpret that last line is key to if Burke will actually ask to interview the NJ native. He clearly says HE would look into it. The question I have is if the Rangers would be willing to trade DeAngelo in the division.
Cap issues for the Penguins
The cap is going to be an issue in any deal for the Penguins. DeAngelo makes $4.8 million and the Rangers will not retain 50%. Pittsburgh is only playing with $154K in space so they need to send salary back, just not a bad contract.
Would the Pens trade Jared McCann and his $2.9M hit to facilitate a deal? Would the Rangers eat around $1M in DeAngelo’s deal to make it work? Plenty of questions, just no answers as of yet.
More About:New York Rangers News New York Rangers Features New York Rangers Rumors