A Potential Contract Extension for Tony DeAngelo

The New York Rangers may be looking to lock up Tony DeAngelo this off-season, but what could a contract look like for the defenseman?

DeAngelo was acquired by the Rangers in 2017 along with the 7th overall pick in the 2017 Draft in exchange for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. After splitting time between Hartford and New York during the 2017-18 season, he spent his first full season in the NHL during the 2018-19 season. He finished the season recording 30 points with four goals and 26 assists in 61 games, with a plus-six rating.

This past season with the Rangers was a career year for DeAngelo, registering 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points with a plus-12 rating, all career highs.

So where do the Rangers go from here?

DeAngelo will not become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2022-23 season, which gives the Rangers three years of team control. They could always decide to give him a contract that covers the final three years of arbitration plus three years of free agency. However, it seems more likely that they will look for a short-term deal rather than a long-term.

The 24-year-old signed a 1-year, $925,000 pact for the 2019-20 season, and will be looking for a payday. The Rangers will have around $21.5 million in cap space to work with next season, but will also have to consider factoring in contracts for Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux and Alexander Georgiev.

Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal are both potential buy-out candidates which could add more cap room to give DeAngelo a larger extension. For hypothetical purposes, assume that neither one of these players will be bought out.

The Rangers will be looking to give DeAngelo a contract that is team-friendly and DeAngelo will look for money that rewards him for his past two seasons in a Ranger uniform. An agreement may be made on a 3-year, $15 million contract with an AAV of $5 million.

The Rangers may have to pay him a little more than they want to, but can still get a bargain of a player for a shorter amount of time. DeAngelo will get his well-deserved money, even though it is only for three years. It is a win-win scenario for both teams.

Jeff Gorton will surely not want to let a player like DeAngelo get away, especially with his most recent contributions. He has shown that he is a very solid offensive-defenseman and can play the puck well to his teammates. David Quinn says that he has matured well since the 2018-19 season, which could be a big indicator of giving him an extension.

It is hard to predict what to expect regarding DeAngelo’s future in New York since he is a possible trade candidate and a possible long-term extension candidate. The most logical scenario is just for a short-term extension that can be a high reward for both parties involved.