New York Rangers: Making $ense of free agency

Tony DeAngelo

DeAngelo carried a $925,000 cap hit last season. To say he’s due a big raise is an understatement.

The Rangers hold the cards in that DeAngelo is a restricted free agent, making it very difficult for other teams to sign him to an offer sheet without giving up draft picks in addition the lucrative deal promised.

However, he’s also arbitration eligible and probably seeking a deal worth at least $5 million. As Blue Line Station’s Steve Paulus suggested, even that number might be low.

What it may come to is whether the Rangers offer anything close to what DeAngelo seeks. If they do, the sides could probably negotiate from there and avoid creating the bad blood that could result from an arbitration hearing.

The kid’s only 24 and already is among the NHL’s top offensive defensemen. When play was suspended, he was tied for fourth in points among league blueliners (53, with Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes) and with three others for third in goals (15).

Talented young defensemen like DeAngelo are not easy to find — especially not one with roots close to New York City and the ability to perform on Broadway.

Re-signing “Tony D” is a no-brainer. However, things are more complicated when it comes to the Rangers’ “glue” guy.