Anthony DeAngelo
Another young defenseman for the New York Rangers that showed off his skills was Anthony DeAngelo. DeAngelo was acquired in the trade that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes over the summer. The offensive minded defenseman has some off-the-ice personality issues, but he seemed to leave most of them in the locker room for the game.
DeAngelo played a very offensive game, much to what the Rangers expected. DeAngelo made clean passes all night, setting up scoring chances left and right. He also ran the power play smoothly, showing prowess at the point.
Even DeAngelo’s defensive play wasn’t bad. Many criticized the DeAngelo trade, citing DeAngelo as a liability in the back end. DeAngelo did play the least shorthanded of any Rangers defenseman, but they were able to trust his defensive skill enough to put him on the ice shorthanded. At least it’s something.
However, DeAngelo’s character issues did manifest on the ice. DeAngelo was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the third period. It didn’t end up costing the Rangers a goal, but it is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses, as DeAngelo is likely to make the team out of training camp.