2019-20 New York Rangers Report Card: Tony DeAngelo

Tony DeAngelo keeps getting better and that is a problem for the New York Rangers

We continue our series of New York Rangers report cards.  As we continue with the defensemen, we’ll look back at last season and provide some expectations for the coming season.

Tony DeAngelo: Grade A-

Tony DeAngelo is a problem for the Rangers, but the good kind.  After years of tantalizing three teams with his skill set and potential, he now has booked two straight consistent seasons for the Blueshirts.  He is now near the top of the list of offensive blueliners in the NHL and he is getting paid accordingly.

He still has his moments defending, but when a player puts together a season that is one of the best for a defender in franchise history, all is forgiven.

The problem that DeAngelo presents is that he contributes to an overload on the right side of the Rangers defense.  When the Rangers imported Jacob Trouba, they weren’t bringing in a shutdown defensive defender, they expected him to be an offensive force  They didn’t expect Adam Fox to be so good so soon.  In essence, the Rangers have three top pair righthanded defenders, a problem every team in the NHL wishes that they had.

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How good is DeAngelo?    You have to go back to Brian Leetch in 2001-02 to find a Ranger defenseman who scored as many points.  The last time a Ranger blueliner scored 15 goals in a season was Leetch in 2004.  That’s exalted company.

And that raised questions about his future with the team.  Three’s a crowd and the Rangers have to decide what to do with him. He will still be a restricted free agent when his two-year, $.6 million contract expires, but with Trouba and Fox seemingly locked into positions with the team is there room for him?   It’s a problem, albeit a good one.

His season

Tony DeAngelo’s season will go down as one of the best for a defenseman in franchise history.  While it cannot compare to the bloated statistics of the goal-happy 1980s, in the current NHL it was one of the best in the league.

Among defensemen, DeAngelo finished fourth in the NHL with 15 goals and  53 points.  His 19 power play points were ninth among blueliners.

On January 9, DeAngelo became the seventh blueliner in franchise history to register a hat trick and with two assists he tied a  Rangers records with five points in a single game.

Whose record did he tie?  Who else. Brian Leetch, who did it twice.

DeAngelo scored twice in overtime for the team lead, tied with Mika Zibanejad. The first time was  in a 3-2 overtime win over the Wild at Madison Square Garden.  The second time in Toronto for a 5-4 win.

There’s no doubt it was a thrilling season for DeAngelo on offense and he was rewarded with a two year contract with an Average Annual Value of $4.8 million, a big jump from his $925k salary.

On the defensive side of the game, that’s where DeAngelo fell short. DeAngelo was third on the team in ice time at even strength, but when he was on the ice the team gave up the most high danger scoring chances (251).

In 68 games, DeAngelo had 16 takeaways, an 0.73 average per 60 minutes that was worst on the team among blueliners.  His 65 giveaways averaged three per 60 minutes, most among Ranger defenders.   DeAngelo is considered a physical player, but his 2.19 hits per 60 minutes average was better only than Adam Fox.   He blocked 57 shots,

The numbers

Games:  68
Goals: 15 (4th in NHL among defensemen)
Assists: 38 (9th in NHL among defensemen)
Points: 53 (4th among among defensemen)
Plus/Minus:  +12
PIMs: 47
Blocked shots: 57 (5th on the team)
Hits:  48
ATOI: 19:17
Corsi–for: 48.6%

Postseason:  DeAngelo played all three games and admittedly, didn’t have a good series. It was later revealed that he was playing with a bad hamstring injury and was a gametime decision for the opener.  When the injury was revealed, it explained a lot about the inefficiency of the Raners power play that went 1-14 in the series.

Why the grade?

Is there any question about the grade?  An A is what DeAngelo deserves, dropped to an A- for defensive deficiencies.   Some would argue that his defensive flaws would warrant a B+, but considering how well he played, the grade is deserved.

Expectations

Tony DeAngelo has a lot to live up to.  Now that he is making the money he wanted the hockey world will be watching to see if he can actually improve on his record setting season.   He has improved his numbers in each of his first three years in New York.  If he can do better than he did last year, his place among the NHL’s elite blueliners will be reinforced.  No more talk of a one season wonder.

The fact is that next season is set up for him to do just that, on offense.  As the player who sets up the offense, the fact is if Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich can replicate their seasons, DeAngelo will benefit from improvement by Kaapo Kakko and the addition of Alexis Lafrenière.

The Rangers boasted the fifth best offense in the NHL and DeAngelo was a big reason for that.  As for his defense, we will have to see how the addition of Jacques Martin affects DeAngelo.  Already a “project” for coach David Quinn, you can be sure that working with DeAngelo on his defense will be a priority for Martin.

The simple fact is that Tony DeAngelo’s offense overshadowed his defensive flaws.  While he is not a one dimensional player, he still needs to improve his defensive game.   He is well positioned to do that.

If it doesn’t happen, look for the Rangers to dangle him as trade bait at the deadline or after the season.  With Nils Lundkvist and Braden Schneider waiting in the wings, DeAngelo has to prove that he deserves to remain a Ranger.

He can do that by being even  better offensively or by being flexible by playing the opposite side, a role he has said he would embrace.   DeAngelo just turned 25 and is entering his prime.  It’s all up to him.