The Islanders acquired defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on Monday. This move follows on the heels of the Islanders signing former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo as a free agent this past Friday.

The reason for the two recent moves is simple. Two of the Islanders top defensemen were injured in the past week. Noah Dobson is week to week with a lower-body injury and landed on long-term injured reserve. Ryan Pulock is on IR after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

So, the additions of Perunovich and DeAngelo are clearly out of necessity. When the Rangers acquired Will Borgen from the Seattle Kraken and Urho Vaakanainen from the Anaheim Ducks this season, each move was made to improve the existing defense corps, which they largely have since the Blueshirts are 8-2-3 and much better defensively since the New Year.

The Islanders won’t be better with their two new addition on the blue line, replacing two of their best defensemen. But Perunovich and D’Angelo do fill massive holes in the lineup that the Islanders were unable to fill internally.

Related: Rangers daily includes latest kick in the gut, Vegas star pulling out of 4 Nations Faceoff

Rangers rival filling holes on beat-up blue line

Perunovich struggled to find success in the NHL with the Blues the past three seasons. Over 97 games, he has two goals and 29 points. The 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top men’s NCAA hockey player had 17 assists in 54 games last season, when he averaged 15:16 TOI.

This season, Perunovich TOI is down to 14:37, though he scored the first two goals of his NHL career and has six pints in 24 games. He’s a 5-foot-10 puck mover, certainly not built in the mode of the rugged Pulock, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 220 pounds. But Perunovich is an NHL defenseman and fills a need on Long Island. And general manager Lou Lamoriello must be hoping that Perunovich finds his game with this change of scenery.

DeAngelo was signed last week upon returning to North America after he mutually agreed to terminate his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg. He led KHL defensemen with 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 34 games, and is more of a natural fit to fill Dobson’s offensive role.

The former Blueshirt is 29 now and four years removed from the end of a controversial run with the Rangers. He played 31 games with the Hurricanes last season.

In his Islanders debut Saturday, DeAngelo logged a game-high 25:07 TOI in the 3-2 overtime win.

So, now we know part of their plan moving forward. We’ll see how the rest plays out in the coming months, though it feels more and more that Ryan Lindgren’s days with the Rangers. are numbered, likely exiting after the season as an unrestricted free agent.

It’s back to the business of hockey Sunday, though. The Rangers try to extend their season-long 10 game-point streak (7-0-3) and keep the good vibes rolling, when they host the Colorado Avalanche. It feels like Colorado is still reeling a bit after the massive Mikko Rantanen trade Friday, understandably. A quick Rangers start Sunday might be the best course of action against such an opponent.

New York woke up Sunday 11th in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the two wild cards — the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets. They’re also two points behind the Ottawa Senators and one in arrears of the Montreal Canadiens. Pretty much everyone ahead of the Rangers and even right behind them in the East won, or got at least one point, Saturday.

So, time to take care of their own business again in a Sunday matinee at MSG.

New York Rangers news

Here are three things to watch for when the Rangers host the Avalanche, including the importance of getting bodies to the net, just as the Blueshirts did in their 6-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Rangers made a minor trade with the Lightning, acquiring forward Lucas Edmonds in exchange for forward Ryder Korczak. Edmonds was assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League.

Their advanced stats haven’t been pretty, but our Tom Castro writes that the Rangers’ third line, consisting of Chris Kreider, Filip Chytil and Arthur Kaliyev, has plenty of potential to be a major contributor if coach Peter Laviolette keeps it intact.

NHL news

The Avalanche lost their first game after the Rantanen trade, 3-1 to the Boston Bruins. Martin Necas was minus-3 in his Avalanche debut.

Rantanen and Taylor Hall were held without a point in their debuts with the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders.

How about former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo logging 25:07 TOI in his debut after signing with the Islanders on Friday?

The news wasn’t all positive for the Islanders on Saturday. They lost defenseman Ryan Pulock and goalie Marcus Hogberg, each with an upper-body injury, in that home-ice win against the Hurricanes.

Hot on the heels of the Rantanen trade, Elliotte Firedman reported that another star player, Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, has drawn serious trade interest from the Buffalo Sabres.

In a big blow to their playoff hopes, the Columbus Blue Jackets will be without injured forward Sean Monahan for an additional 6-8 weeks after it was determined his wrist issue is not healing as quickly as expected.

The New Jersey Devils skated to a 4-3 overtime win against the Canadiens. But it may have been a costly victory. Captain Nico Hischier left the game in the third period with an apparent upper-body injury.

Watch Jack Hughes score the overtime winner for the Devils in Montreal.

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost their game — 4-1 to the Seattle Kraken — and center Evgeni Malkin — who left the game with an apparent lower-body injury.

Shane Pinto scored in the third period to lift the Senators to a 2-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Quinn Hughes scored twice to lift the Vancouver Canucks past the Washington Capitals 2-1, ending Washington’s six-game win streak.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Nashville Predators 5-2, but lost goalie John Gibson to an upper-body injury in the first period.

For instance, the Carolina Hurricanes pulled off a massive three-team trade that landed them superstar forward Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche. The mega move affects everyone in the Eastern Conference because a really good team just got better.

It says here that the Hurricanes need to address their goaltending in order to get over the hump and win a Stanley Cup — did you watch Frederik Andersen in the second round against the Rangers last spring? — but there’s no doubt Rantanen is a massive addition to the lineup. On top of being a helluva’ talented player, one who finished with more than a 100 points each of the past two seasons, the 28-year-old is a Stanley Cup champion. His addition is valuable in so many ways.

The Hurricanes also landed Taylor Hall in the trade, though he’s more of a depth middle-six forward at this point of his career. They surrendered forwards Martin Neces and Jack Drury off their roster, and wisely worked out an angle where the Chicago Blackhawks pay half of Rantanen’s salary.

The Rangers (24-20-4) are moving up the East standings, 7-0-3 in their past 10 games. Carolina was already far ahead of them, though, in the standings. This trade should solidify Carolina’s hold near the top of the Metropolitan Division. What happens in the playoffs will determine how successful this trade is for the Hurricanes, though.

Also possibly affecting the Rangers is if the Avalanche pivot and look into a J.T. Miller trade. If the Rangers are indeed still interested in re-acquiring Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, this would be some serious added competition to land the 31-year-old forward.

This trade just proves that the Rangers don’t operate in a vacuum, even on a day off. Let’s see what happens moving forward.

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New York Rangers news

How did the Rangers survive that 4-15-0 stretch that could’ve — but didn’t — submarined their season? In our story, Filip Chytil explains, “We didn’t lose our heads.”

John Kreiser has an in-depth breakdown of where the Rangers sit in the wild scramble that is the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Rangers defensemen are making sure to “take care of our own end first” but contributing offensively, as well.

In case you missed it, here are our three takeaways from another Rangers win, 6-1 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.

NHL news

Here’s our write up on former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo’s return to New York after he signed a one-year contract with the Islanders on Friday.

The Islanders then went out and defeated the Flyers 3-1 behind Ilya Sorokin’s 29 saves.

It appears the Utah Hockey Club is hitting a roadblock in finally choosing its team nickname after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused its bid to trademark “Utah Yetis.”

The Ottawa Senators signed veteran forward Sam Gagner to a PTO, and he will begin playing for Belleville in the American Hockey League.

After missing one game with an upper-body injury, Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman is expected to return Saturday afternoon against the Avalanche.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov had the 100th three-point game of his NHL career and extended his point streak to 11 games in a 4-3 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Watch Kucherov score the game-winner in overtime for the Lightning.

Red-hot Jason Robertson scored two more goals for the Dallas Stars in their 4-3 win against the Vegas Golden Knights. He has six goals in his past five games.

Watch Cole Perfetti records his first NHL hat trick in the Winnipeg Jets’ 5-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club.

The 29-year-old South Jersey native agreed to a one-year, prorated $775,000 contract with the Islanders on Friday. He wasn’t in uniform for the Isles’ home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday but could dress Saturday when the Carolina Hurricanes come to town.

DeAngelo recently mutually agreed to dissolve his relationship with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. He led KHL defensemen with 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 34 games.

But it seems there’s always something with DeAngelo. When he departed St. Petersburg to return home to the United States to be with his family, there were rumors that he was disliked by coaches and teammates in Russia because he was most concerned with his offensive numbers — likely because much of his salary was tied to statistical bonuses.

#Isles News: The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a one-year contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. pic.twitter.com/IeL4pBylzi

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 24, 2025

Still, the timing of his return worked out well. The Islanders will be without their top offensive defenseman, Noah Dobson, who’s out week to week after he sustained a lower-body injury in a 3-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Defenseman Mike Reilly hasn’t played since Nov. 1 and remains sidelined following heart surgery for the Islanders, who are last in the Metropolitan Division and eight points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

DeAngelo played 31 games with the Hurricanes last season and had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in a limited role. When Brett Pesce was injured early in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, DeAngelo took on a regular role on the Hurricanes’ blue line. He played nine postseason games and averaged more than 19 minutes of ice time per game, contributing two assists.

DeAngelo played all six games against the Rangers in the second round. He had an assist in Carolina’s Game 2 overtime loss in New York and another in its home win in Game 4.

Related: Tony DeAngelo clears air about messy Rangers tenure

Tony DeAngelo’s tenure with Rangers was mixed bag

While other defensemen, former Carolina teammates Brady Skjei and Pesce, cashed in this past summer on the NHL free-agent market, DeAngelo was left out in the cold. He’s still a skilled puck mover, who has 210 points (48 goals, 162 assists) in 371 NHL games. But after remaining unsigned, he agreed to play in Russia.

His Rangers tenure was a mixed bag. Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes before the 2017 NHL Draft as part of a trade that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the desert, DeAngelo was a top-four defenseman by 2018-19. Then in 2019-20, DeAngelo scored an NHL career-high 15 goals and 53 points in 68 games with the Rangers.

But things went south the following season. The final straw for him in New York took place on Jan. 30, 2021, when he had an altercation with a teammate, goalie Alexandar Georgiev. DeAngelo played just six games that season and not another after the incident. The Rangers eventually bought out his contract.

Now he’s back in New York and preparing to play for his fourth team in the Metropolitan Division, after stints with the Rangers, Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers.

DeAngelo had a decent run in the KHL, albeit a short one. In his 34 games, he was the highest-scoring defenseman in the league, logging six goals and 26 assists for 32 points, as well as a plus-15 rating with SKA St. Petersburg.

While he is believed to have returned to North America to be with his family, rumors suggest that may not be the entire story. It’s been reported that DeAngelo was solely focused on offensive production in order to meet certain performance bonus benchmarks, and that once again, he was unable to gel in a team environment.

This explains why Tony DeAngelo left SKA via MatchTV (translated) pic.twitter.com/QapqsNT07b

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) January 16, 2025

Nonetheless, his return to North America could attract the attention of an NHL team or two. The 29-year-old defenseman had success in the NHL, with 48 goals and 210 points in 377 career games split between the Arizona Coyotes, Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Philadelphia Flyers.

Last season, he played 31 games with the Hurricanes and had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in a limited role. When Brett Pesce was injured early in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, DeAngelo took on a regular role on the Hurricanes blue line. He played nine postseason games and averaged over 19 minutes in ice time per game, contributing two assists.

DeAngelo played all six games against the Rangers in the second round. He had an assist in Carolina’s Game 2 overtime loss in New York and another in its home win in Game 4.

But despite defensemen his age signing big contracts this past offseason, DeAngelo failed to land a deal of any kind and decided in late September to play in the KHL.

Though DeAngelo’ controversial character is well know through the League, there could be a team interested in signing him for the stretch run on a minimum NHL contract.

Related: What’s next for Rangers after J.T. Miller trade speculation heats up

Potential landing spots for Tony DeAngelo

It should be noted that the Rangers have zero interest in a reunion with DeAngelo. They sent him home early in the 2020-21 season and eventually bough out the remainder of his contract. He had been benched early in the season by then-coach David Quinn and then had an altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev. That coupled with some controversial social media posts landed him on the outside looking in at the NHL.

DeAngelo does have skill, though. He had an NHL career-high 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists) with the Rangers in 2019-20 and two years later had 51 points in 64 games with the Hurricanes.

So, which teams might have interest in DeAngelo this time around?

Carolina Hurricanes

DeAngelo had two stints with the Hurricanes before heading over to Russia. He first played for them in the 2021-22 season after his tenure with the Rangers crashed and burned. Never known for his defense, DeAngeloe had a career-high plus-30 rating that season. He added a goal and nine assists in 14 playoff games.

After spending a season with the Flyers, he returned to Carolina last season in a part-time role. However, after finding his game in the KHL, Carolina may be interested in a third reunion. Their depth on defense is not the same this season after losing both Pesce and Brady Skjei in free agency, though they did add Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker.

Coach Rod Brind’Amour knows DeAngelo, and there were no issues in his previous two stints with the team. So, this makes sense for both parties.

Vancouver Canucks

There may not be a more hectic team in the NHL when it comes to rumor and drama than the Vancouver Canucks right now. Why not stir the pot even more by bringing in DeAngelo? Jokes aside, the Canucks have far too good of a roster to be a bubble team in the playoff race. They need to do something to shake things up, and rather than trading away talent, maybe brining in a puck-moving defenseman like DeAngelo could help their cause.

Quinn Hughes carries the defensive core and team as a whole with 50 points on the season. The next closest defenseman is Tyler Myers with just 13 points. Despite all of the drama surrounding the Canucks this season, a serious case can be made to bring in a player like DeAngelo who, at the very least, could provide some more points from the defense position.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins haven’t had the season they envisioned after making some key offseason acquisitions such as center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, as well as signing goalie Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year extension. Even so, they’re in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, though only a maximum of seven points separate them from seven teams right on their heels looking to make a push.

It’s safe to say that Boston could use some help on the back end, especially in terms of points. It’s been a rough season for Charlie McAvoy, who has just 20 points in 45 games. In fact, it’s Mason Lohrei who leads all Bruins defenseman in points with 22, but he sports a minus-10 rating, worst among Boston’s defensemen. This is another team who may take the risk of adding DeAngelo, hoping that he can provide more depth and some added offense to their struggling defense corps.

The 28-year-old played 31 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season and had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in a limited role for the team that finished behind the Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

When Brett Pesce was injured early in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, DeAngelo took on a regular role on the Hurricanes blue line. He played nine postseason games and averaged over 19 minutes in ice time per game, contributing two assists.

DeAngelo played all six games against the Rangers in the second round. He had an assist in Carolina’s Game 2 overtime loss in New York and another in its home win in Game 4.

SKA have signed a one-year contract with defenseman Tony DeAngelo 🇺🇸 https://t.co/9Mx6TT4ydS

— KHL (@khl_eng) September 23, 2024

Despite that, the Hurricanes didn’t re-sign DeAngelo this offseason. That’s despite losing both Pesce and Brady Skjei during free agency.

DeAngelo will join former Hurricanes teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov in St. Petersburg. This will be his first season outside North America since he turned pro in 2015-16.

“Last year, I played with ‘Kuzy,’ so there’s a couple guys here (I know), so that makes it a little bit easier,” DeAngelo said.

“I’ve heard a lot about the history and all that comes with the city, so looking forward to getting around and seeing it. … Excited to be here.”

"I'm excited to be here."

Tony DeAngelo on joining @hcSKA_News. pic.twitter.com/NInzIPiaot

— KHL (@khl_eng) September 23, 2024

Related: Tony DeAngelo explains why Adam Fox is such a great defenseman

Tony DeAngelo had highs and lows during Rangers tenure

While other players his age cashed in this summer on the NHL free-agent market, DeAngelo was left out in the cold. He’s still a skilled puck mover, who has 210 points (48 goals, 162 assists) in 371 NHL games. But DeAngelo comes with baggage, including a history of controversial comments and actions that started back in his junior days and carried into his professional career.

His Rangers tenure was a mixed bag. Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes before the 2017 NHL Draft as part of a trade that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the desert, DeAngelo was a top-four defenseman by 2018-19. Then in 2019-20, DeAngelo scored an NHL career-high 15 goals and 53 points in 68 games with the Rangers.

Things went south the following season, though. The final straw for him in New York took place on Jan. 30, 2021, in the season that began late due to the coronavirus pandemic.

DeAngelo and goalie Alexandar Georgiev had a miscommunication on who should play the puck in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shortly afterward, Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal in a 5-4 Rangers loss. Heading back to the dressing room at The Garden, DeAngelo and Georgiev exchanged words before things got physical.

“Obviously there’s way more to it than just the incident with ‘Georgie’ at the end of the year,” DeAngelo explained on the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast this summer. “Rewind a little bit; that was during the election — President transition — I had gotten in some trouble about some questionable tweets I made that offended some people, offended season ticket holders, all that stuff which, once again, totally understood.”

He also was benched by then-coach David Quinn early in the season for attitude issues. The Georgiev incident sealed his fate with the Rangers.

“It was just, to me, one of them situations where if I would’ve done the right thing from the start, from the beginning of training camp, none of that probably would have happened. But it did,” he said. “The only part I regret is what happened after — how out of control it got — that we weren’t able to get ahead of it in a quicker way where people could’ve got to the truth.”

That 2020-21 season was a lost one for DeAngelo, who played only six games. His contract was bought out by the Rangers at the end of the season. He rebounded in a big way with 51 points (10 goals, 41 assists) in 64 games with the Hurricanes in 2021-22, then played a season with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022-23 and was back with Carolina in a diminished role last season.

Now, DeAngelo is starting over in Russia, perhaps for an extended run there. Or maybe it’s the first step in a return to the NHL.

Instead, Chris Kreider added another layer to his already illustrious Blueshirts career, scoring a natural hat trick in the third period that propelled the Rangers to a 5-3 win, sending New York to the conference final and further cementing his legacy in Rangers lore.

KREIDER HAT TRICK AND GO-AHEAD GOAL! 🧢 pic.twitter.com/nWx9DqFAGn

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 17, 2024

Former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo witnessed the heroic comeback from the Hurricanes bench, appearing in all six games of the Round 2 series as he replaced an injured Brett Pesce.

“My opinion, going into the third, we seemed real confident. I was real confident,” said DeAngelo on Morning Cuppa Hockey last Wednesday. “It wasn’t like our sticks were tight. I thought we were playing really good.”

The Hurricanes had, in fact, thoroughly dominated up until that point, taking a 3-1 lead into the third period after Sebastian Aho slipped behind the Rangers and converted on the breakaway goal. With just 20 minutes left to play, the Hurricanes held a 20-14 advantage in shots on goals and were doubling New York eight-to-four in high-danger chances.

They’d even get off to a hot start in the third with Jack Drury and Jake Guentzel both firing shots off the post.

“We’re dominating the first four and a half minutes of that period,” DeAngelo explained. “It was smooth sailing and we were buzzing pretty good too. Two grade-A chances to score. I mean you get one of those, you’re going to Game 7 almost 100 percent of the time.”

Puck luck was not on their side in the third period, but it was on Kreider’s side, who jammed in his first goal of the game to cut the deficit to one with 13:17 to play.

“The Rangers get kind of weird ricochet. It hits off the side of the pad, they get one. No big deal,” DeAngelo verbalized. “Then they get a power play. And when the Rangers go on the power play, I guess you could sense things start to turn a bit.”

Jordan Staal’s cross-checking penalty on Mika Zibanejad proved to be a costly one. Roughly a minute into the Blueshirts’ man advantage, Kreider tipped in a shot from Artemi Panarin, tying the game at 3 with just over eight minutes left.

“There was a lot of blue in the crowd,” said DeAngelo, remembering how the fans in Raleigh, North Carolina roared to life after the visiting team equalized the score. “From my opinion, I felt a little bit of deflation go through the bench there. And then obviously they get the next one, and then you’re just chasing at that point.”

Kreider was netfront once more for his third of the night, driving a feed from Ryan Lindgren right by goaltender Fredrick Andersen. It would prove to be the game-winner, as Barclay Goodrow capped off the series with an empty netter in the final minute, securing a 5-3 victory.

“I mean, listen, having a chance to play a Game 7 in MSG after being down 3-0, it would’ve been great for hockey, great for us players, great for the sport,” said DeAngelo. “But not for the Rangers — they’re happy the way it ended there.”

To Carolina’s credit, even when they trailed the series 3-0, it was largely competitive. The Rangers won Game 1 by a 4-3 margin before taking Games 2 and 3 in hard-fought overtime affairs. The Hurricanes had put New York on their heels for the remainder of the series, but a heroic effort from Kreider kept the Blueshirts from experiencing a nerve-wracking Game 7.

“Kreids and the Rangers, they gave us a tough series,” the former Blueshirts defenseman reflected. “I thought there were games we could’ve won even before then. You had the overtime games, we just couldn’t find a way to get that one goal we needed — They did. That’s the way it goes in a playoff series.”

For DeAngelo, it’s actually the second time he’s fallen in postseason play to his former team. Suiting up for the Hurricanes during the 2022 postseason, he appeared in all seven games of a Round 2 defeat that saw the Rangers overcome a 3-2 deficit and clinch the series in PNC Arena.

With his contract expired this offseason, DeAngelo remains unsigned, looking for a landing spot in the NHL as rumors swirl about him potentially signing in the KHL.

Related: Controversial former Rangers defenseman clears air about Broadway tenure

DeAngelo’s complicated relationship with fans on full display during playoffs

A trademark of Rangers fandom is the passion and energy that fills the iconic Madison Square Garden, particularly during the postseason. To no surprise, it was on full display once again this postseason.

DeAngelo’s tumultuous career in New York, ending with a release by waivers in 2020-21 after an altercation with goaltender Alexander Georgiev, has made him an enemy of Rangers fans and an easy target for their jeers.

“I remember telling the guys on the plane, I wonder if these guys know I haven’t played the last 50 games of the regular season,” joked DeAngelo, who played just 31 games this season as a seventh defenseman on a loaded Hurricanes team. “Maybe they should boo ‘Guentz,’ who scores against them every time he goes to New York, or Aho, or Slavin, somebody different, but I’ll take it.”

DeAngelo was booed every time he touched the puck during Games 1, 2, and 5 in MSG with many fans still disliking him after his antics during his four-year tenure in New York.

Tony DeAngelo was hearing some boos from the MSG crowd during his first shift of the game#CauseChaos | #NYR pic.twitter.com/keEnIvs8pz

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) May 5, 2024

“To me, It’s just part of the game, part of the playoffs,” said DeAngelo, downplaying the reaction. “I mean, in the regular season, they actually did [boo] a little bit too. I was a little surprised about that, I thought it was more of just a playoff thing, but to me, it’s just part of it. They care about their team more than the guy that left.”

The 28-year-old went on to say that even fans who still like him would probably join in because of the atmosphere, before adding, “I’m sure there’s a good amount of Rangers fans that aren’t fans of mine at all and want to boo, too”.

Despite some negative receptions in MSG following his departure, DeAngelo still has glowing reviews about playing in New York.

“I love playing in New York, loved it. The fans are great. Even when I was gone, I never had a bad word to say about the Rangers fans,” DeAngelo stated. “I would go back in a second to play for a New York sports team.”

Related: Former Rangers defenseman explains why Adam Fox is elite player

It should come as no surprise that when asked about his favorite defensemen to watch in the NHL on Morning Cuppa Hockey this Wednesday, former teammate Adam Fox was one of the first names out of his mouth.

“‘Foxy’s’ hockey IQ, if he’s not top three, he’s gotta be right there,” DeAngelo said. “It was impressive to watch him from when he was a rookie, too, which was the crazy part — he did it right away. Patient, calm, he wasn’t in a hurry as a rookie. He’s just got that demeanor to him, and obviously he’s turned into a Norris Trophy guy.”

“His hockey IQ is on another level……he thinks the game at a legitimately different level than 99% of defensemen.” –@ryanwhitney6

Adam Fox is the Norris winner and the future of the Rangers franchise.

🎙: https://t.co/G6Iit3v3lK pic.twitter.com/tV57UaoHbT

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) July 7, 2021

After finishing fourth in Calder Trophy voting as NHL rookie of the year in 2019-20, Fox won the Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman, leading all players at the position with 47 points in 55 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

He’s since posted three straight seasons with 10-plus goals and 70-plus points, finishing top five in Norris Trophy voting in each of the past four seasons.

Fox wasn’t the only defenseman DeAngelo gave credit to. The eight-year NHL veteran first mentioned Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, who he praised as being “in a class of his own,” before also highlighting blueliners like Quinn Hughes, Roman Josi, Victor Hedman, and Charlie McAvoy.

But DeAngelo made an important distinction between Fox and the other elite defensemen mentioned.

“Foxy does it a total different way. Foxy does it more with just smarts and patience and skill, and he’ll just hold you out and then boom, perfect pass,” DeAngelo explained. “And he’s got the stick position and head movement, and that’s almost even more impressive than some of the guys with speed and skating can do. Because speed and skating, you can create that time for yourself, right?”

Former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen and Jonny Lazarus, the latter of whom covers the Rangers for Daily Faceoff, both noted that Fox doesn’t boast elite size or speed, yet manages to consistently be one of the top-producing defensemen in the NHL and a nightmare for the opposition.

“He’s smooth,” added DeAngelo. “I’m not gonna say he’s faster than Quinn or Makar or [Miro] Heiskanen. Them other guys float — they get a step on you, they’re gone. Foxy will just get a step on you mentally and you got no chance. He’ll put it right through your stick, he can do anything he wants with it, which is probably even more impressive in a sense.”

Related: Controversial former Rangers defenseman clears air about Broadway tenure

Tony DeAngelo praises former Rangers coach

Fox wasn’t the only former colleague that DeAngelo praised when he reflected on his four-year stint with the Rangers.

In a surprising twist, he showed some love toward the often-criticized David Quinn, who was Rangers coach for three of DeAngelo’s four seasons in New York.

“It was pretty public knowledge that we went back and forth a little bit, but I actually really liked him,” DeAngelo said. “I think people thought we hated each other.”

DeAngelo mentioned that he was one of the first people who reached out to Quinn after he was fired by the Rangers. Ironically, the 2020-21 season would mark the end of both DeAngelo and Quinn’s tenures in New York, with DeAngelo placed on waivers after an altercation with Alexander Georgiev and Quinn’s contract terminated after failing to build off an appearance in the play-in round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the season prior.

“There were some things that I didn’t agree with that he did as a coach or how we went back and forth with each other about it, but one of the things I liked most about him was how much he cared. We could be down in a game 4-0 in the third period, if we scored, you could hear him behind you,” he said. “I like that cause it just showed how much passion he had for the team winning and wanting to win. Whether you liked some of the things he did or not, it meant nothing.”

Quinn was named San Jose Sharks coach in 2022-23, but managed a measly 41-98-25 record across two seasons with a roster that didn’t have much in the way of talent. After finishing the 2023-24 season with a League-worst 47 points, Quinn was let go by San Jose and has since rejoined the Metropolitan Division as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins under coach Mike Sullivan.

“The more chances he gets, I think the better and better and better he’ll get,” DeAngelo said confidently. “I” still think ‘Quinnie’s’ got a future again as a head coach.”

DeAngelo discussed his turbulent downfall with the Rangers during the 2020-21 season and tried to set the record straight when he appeared on the Morning Cuppa Hockey program Wednesday.

Clearly, DeAngelo still isn’t happy with how a postgame physical altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev was handled by the Rangers. Though, it should be noted, the 28-year-old does understand his role and fault in what happened.

“It was just, to me, one of them situations where if I would’ve done the right thing from the start, from the beginning of training camp, none of that probably would have happened. But it did,” said a reflective DeAngelo. “The only part I regret is what happened after — how out of control it got — that we weren’t able to get ahead of it in a quicker way where people could’ve got to the truth.”

The incident took place on Jan. 30, 2021, in the season that began late due to the coronavirus pandemic. DeAngelo and Georgiev had a miscommunication on who should play the puck in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shortly afterward, Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal in a 5-4 Rangers loss. Heading back to the dressing room at The Garden, DeAngelo and Georgiev exchanged words before things got physical.

Here's the miscommunication between DeAngelo and Georgiev from last night's overtime + the Penguins' game-winning goal that he was on the ice for #NYR pic.twitter.com/KhlJJPtrL8

— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) January 31, 2021

“Obviously there’s way more to it than just the incident with ‘Georgie’ at the end of the year,” DeAngelo explained. “Rewind a little bit; that was during the election — President transition — I had gotten in some trouble about some questionable tweets I made that offended some people, offended season ticket holders, all that stuff which, once again, totally understood.”

That was followed by a season-opening loss to the New York Islanders when DeAngelo took what he perceived to be a weak holding penalty on Mat Barzal and slammed the door of the penalty box, receiving an extra two minutes of penalty time to the displeasure of coach David Quinn.

“‘Quinnie’ and I disagreed about it. I wind up sitting the next two games, so the season starts out a little bit rocky, unfortunately, and that was due to my fault,” DeAngelo admitted. “I wasn’t handling that very well at the time.”

DeAngelo returned to the lineup, but his outburst against Georgiev two weeks later proved to be the final straw. He only played six games that season for the Rangers after being placed on waivers and going unclaimed after that Penguins game.

“You fast forward to the Georgie incident, which was probably the least worrisome incident out of all of them, but I guess just the icing on the cake.”

DeAngelo went on to explain his perspective of the altercation that resulted in his release.

“It was a tough game. He struggled, I struggled in the game. We’re playing against Pittsburgh, going down the tunnel, I yelled at Georgie. ‘Make a bleeping save.’ So if I didn’t yell at Georgie, Georgie wasn’t gonna turn around and do anything. That’s a fact. So obviously I started it. Georgie’s running hot after the game and he turns around and fires a headbutt at me.”

DeAngelo responded by slapping Georgiev’s mask with his stick and the fight was quickly broken up.

“I had a feeling something was gonna come there. I thought I was gonna get traded, to be honest with you,” DeAngelo said. “It wasn’t a total shock that I was gonna be out of there at that point cause the season started off so rocky — and a lot of it being my fault.”

DeAngelo added that he’s since crossed paths with Georgiev and the two are in a fine spot, albeit not the closest of friends.

“I never blamed [Georgiev] as far as that, that was just heat of the moment. What I blame is what happened after, how it was a bit of a 180 as far as how things were handled with each individual,” DeAngelo explained, referring to the fact that Georgiev remained with the Rangers until the end of the 2021-22 season, after which he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. “But I knew there was stuff beforehand that I put myself in a tough spot. That incident there was honestly the least of my worries, but it was the most public thing that came out that blew up.”

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Former Rangers defenseman refutes incident with K’Andre Miller

Georgiev was not the only player rumored to have tension with DeAngelo, who also addressed reports of bad blood between himself and then-rookie defenseman K’Andre Miller in 2020-21.

“What bugged me the most was the stories that came out about K’Andre — that idiot wrote that story, it was so stupid,” DeAngelo said, referring to a story by Adam Herman of Bleacher Report in the days following his incident with Georgiev. “What happened, though, was those stories trended so much and had so many clicks and views that people are gonna believe them when they see it. That’s just the power of the media.”

Herman reported from an external source that DeAngelo stole the puck from Miller’s first NHL goal and that there were internal concerns about DeAngelo’s treatment of his Black teammate.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, as well as all parties involved, were quick to refute the story — but that didn’t stop it from becoming part of the complicated saga for DeAngelo.

Rangers, and Miller, were upset about the loss. Rosasco didn’t ask for the photo op. Puck was with the equipment staff.

I know this has become the smoking gun for many, but DeAngelo didn’t steal puck or keep it. Photo just didn't happen. Imagine it will when puck is framed, etc.

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 1, 2021

“It just blew way out of control,” DeAngelo said. “Everyone was looking for something big, I guess we gave it to them. They just bugged me, the stories that came out, they were so far-fetched and almost like viciously made up, And the crazy part is, it had a big effect on what happened that year and I obviously went unclaimed.”

DeAngelo added that he reached out to Miller after the report surfaced and noted that the two had a nice exchange and were able to put the story to bed.

Related:

Complicated legacy for unsigned former Rangers defenseman

DeAngelo’s unceremonious exit and reports of locker room drama have made him an easy target for Blueshirts fans, most recently displayed in the second round of the playoffs this past spring.

“The fans’ passion, I think, is hilarious. I was the same way growing up,” DeAngelo chuckled. “Contrary to what the Rangers fans think, I think it actually helps my game. I love it. I think it’s great.”

There was a time that DeAngelo was a successful and popular player with the Rangers, before everything unraveled. After DeAngelo, the No. 19 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, was acquired by the Rangers from the Arizona Coyotes in a summer of 2017 deal that included Derek Stepan and Antti Rantta leaving New York and a first-round pick heading East, the defenseman had some big years with the Blueshirts.

DeAngelo made his Rangers debut that fall, but broke out two seasons later, finishing 12th in Norris Trophy voting with 15 goals and 53 points in 68 games during the 2019-20 season. That earned him a two-year, $9.6 million extension after he finished with the fourth-most points among NHL defensemen.

The Rangers paid him for playing only six games in 2020-21 and then bought out the rest of his contract. He went on to post 51 points (10 goals, 41 assists) for the Hurricanes in 2021-22 and 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) for the Philadelphia Flyers the following season. He was back in Carolina as the seventh defenseman last season, returning to a regular role after Brett Pesce was injured in the playoffs.

Now, he’s still searching for an NHL job and recent reports link him to possibly signing in the KHL.

It should be noted that his behavioral incidents in New York were not an isolated incident.

Reports of issues date back as far as 2014, when he was suspended multiple times in the OHL for altercations with both referees and teammates. DeAngelo was suspended three games during his rookie season for assaulting a referee as a member of the Coyotes. On top of repeated on-ice incidents, he’s become a polarizing figure due to some of his aforementioned political commentary.

But DeAngelo doesn’t seem overly bothered about his public perception and seems to be generally well-received by teammates, including the likes of Adam Fox and Pesce, who were mentioned to be strong supporters of their former teammate during the interview.

“I’ve had a couple of tough years unfortunately, but the one thing that I’ve always been happy about is that I’ve always been a good teammate, ” DeAngelo reflected. “Sometimes I’ve been tough on teammates, 100 percent — but off the ice and on the ice when they were in need, I’ve always been a good teammate. When it’s all said and done, that’s more important to me — the relationship I have with guys than what other people are gonna be saying about me.”

The Blueshirts came out of that series healthy and now receive extra rest by virtue of winning in four games.

Next up for the Rangers is a tougher series against the Carolina Hurricanes, who made fairly quick work of the New York Islanders, finishing off that first-round series with a 6-3 win in Game 5 on Tuesday.

The Hurricanes did not come out of that series unscathed, though. And their injuries could factor into the outcome of the Eastern Conference Second Round.

Related: Peter Laviolette not saying if lineup changes in store for Rangers against Hurricanes

Hurricanes receive injury updates ahead of playoff series against Rangers

Hurricanes top-four defenseman Brett Pesce, who sustained a lower-body injury in Game 2 against the Islanders, had been in a walking boot. But he appears to be getting healthier. Pesce was seen walking without the boot after the Hurricanes eliminated the Islanders, and though he is not yet cleared to play, signs are pointing towards him making an appearance in the later stages of the second round.

“If everything goes as expected, he will play games in this round,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said Wednesday. “Maybe not right away.”

Tony DeAngelo, who replaced Pesce in the lineup the past three games, appears to have diodged a serious injury after taking a slash to his arm in the late stages of Game 5. X-rays reportedly came back clear, meaning he should be good to go against his former team in the second round.

“He’s feeling better today. That shouldn’t be an issue at all,” Waddell stated.

The final update was for forward Jesper Fast, who was injured in the Hurricanes’ regular-season finale. CT scans and MRIs show that Fast injured a muscle in his neck, which has kept him out for the duration of the playoffs, so far. Fast remains in a neck brace.

“It’s a matter of the doctors getting comfortable,” before he can resume hockey activity, Waddell explained.

Despite the injuries, Carolina is a team with great depth, meaning New York will certainly have their hands full. But so will the Hurricanes, because not only are the Rangers as deep a team, but they’re healthier to start the series.