Flyers done with Tony DeAngelo a year after acquiring him
Tony DeAngelo is bidding farewell to Broad Street.
The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Friday that they placed the defenseman on unconditional waivers with the purpose buying out out DeAngelo’s contract.
DeAngelo, 27, will become a free agent if he clears waivers on Saturday afternoon.
If it wasn’t clear already, general manager Danny Breiere’s disposal of DeAngelo with nothing in return, is another sign of the Flyers hurtling toward a full rebuild.
The former New York Ranger spent one season with Philly, his hometown team, after then-general manager Chuck Fletcher acquired DeAngelo from Carolina last July and subsequently signed him to a two-year, $10 million contract.
With the organization’s change in management, though, DeAngelo is no longer part of the future.
Tony DeAngelo plays during an NHL hockey game. AP
Briere attempted to pull off a trade that would send DeAngelo back to the Hurricanes just a few days before the 2023 NHL Draft in June, but it ultimately fell through.
To prevent cap circumvention, the NHL collective bargaining agreement states that a player is not permitted to be traded back to his initial team within a year if the trade included salary retention.
The planned trade would’ve seen the Flyers retain 50 percent of DeAngelo’s $5 million 2023-24 cap hit.
Some expected the two teams would wait until July 9 to make it official –– a full calendar year after DeAngelo was first sent to Philly from Carolina –– but the trade did not happen.
Parker Wotherspoon #38 of the New York Islanders defends against Tony DeAngelo #77. Getty Images
It’s speculated that the Hurricanes ultimately passed on DeAngelo because they’re still in the hunt for All-Star Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks, who happens to be a right-shot defenseman like DeAngelo –– and a better one at that.
Evidently, the Flyers did not want to wait around for Carolina, and after they resolved Noah Cates’ salary arbitration case by signing him to a two-year, $5.25 million contract on Monday, the team had a second buyout window opened 72 hours later.
With DeAngelo’s buyout, Philly will have a $1.66 million cap charge in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Bo Horvat #14 of the New York Islanders skates with the puck past Tony DeAngelo #77. Getty Images
Through 70 games played with the Flyers last season, DeAngelo potted 11 goals and dished 31 assists.
The Flyers ended the season sitting at 14th in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season with a 31-38-13 record.
Source: New York Post
