A make or break season for 5 New York Rangers

#4 Tony DeAngelo

The saga of Tony DeAngelo has been discussed ad nauseum.   He’s coming off two excellent seasons and has improved every year he has been a Ranger.  With offensive statistics that put him among the elite defensemen in the NHL, he struck pay dirt with a $9.6 million, two-year deal.

If DeAngelo can get even better he will present the Rangers with a real problem.  They already have too many right-shot defenders in the organization and with Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox seemingly locked into the top two pairs, another stellar season by DeAngelo will present them with a real problem.   There’s been discussion about switching him to the opposite side, but the writing on the wall is that his days as a Ranger are numbered.

If DeAngelo improves just a bit more on his last season, he will establish himself as an elite offensive defenseman.   He is still three years away from Unrestricted Free Agency so the Rangers could use him as early as this season as a trade chip for another elite talent.  Or they could see if there is a market for Trouba or do the unthinkable, trade Adam Fox.

If DeAngelo regresses, it could really cloud his future.  Could there be a role for him as a third pair defender who is a power play specialist?  Probably yes, but at $4.8 million he could be too expensive.  Would another team looking for an offensive blueliner be willing to gamble on his at the trade deadline?