In a somewhat surprising move, the New York Rangers have waived defenceman Anthony DeAngelo. The 25-year-old is not performing up to expectations and the Rangers have plenty of young defenders they can use. Elliotte Friedman announced the news Sunday morning.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1355924462777102341?s=20
Rangers Waive Anthony DeAngelo
DeAngelo was off to a poor start in 2020-21. He has just one assist through New York’s first six games. The .17 point-per-game pace is the lowest of any seasons in DeAngelo’s career. It would have taken a massive effort to recapture earlier production considering that he was averaging almost a full minute less per game than 2019-20. There’s a reasonable argument that he is merely unlucky considering his 53.6 percent Corsi For is the best of his career and his career shooting percentage is 6.0, but there’s not a lot of time this year to let someone work through their issues.
The Arizona Coyotes originally drafted DeAngelo in the first round of the 2014 Draft, but traded him in 2017 in exchange for Antti Raanta and Derek Stepan. The New Jersey native has blossomed into a quality top-four defender as a Rangers with 19 goals and 92 points in 167 games. Last year was a breakout season as DeAngelo received down-ballot Norris Trophy support thanks to 15 goals and 53 points in 68 games. It has been a swift fall for the talented blueliner.
What This Means for the Future
It’s not hard to imagine DeAngelo’s tenure with New York coming to an end soon. His performance, coupled with several controversial incidents on social media over the years, does not make him an endearing presence in the organization’s eyes. The Rangers simply gain nothing from his presence on the active roster at this time.
They also have plenty of talent looking to take a larger role in the system. Prospect K’Andre Miller already looks ready to go with one goal and four points in eight games as a rookie. The additional presence of Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, and Libor Hajek means that New York doesn’t strictly need DeAngelo. They have as much to gain by waiving him as playing him at this point.
Main Photo:
