Tony DeAngelo signs a contract with… the Islanders

Surprise in the NHL.

The Islanders have just announced the signing of Tony DeAngelo. We’re talking about a contract worth $775,000 that is valid for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

He will have to clear waivers today since he played in Russia this season as well:

#Isles News: The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a one-year contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. pic.twitter.com/IeL4pBylzi

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 24, 2025

Tony DeAngelo with Patrick Roy and Lou Lamoriello… It seems a bit odd in my head.

I can’t wait to see how this group gets along in New York!

After all, we know how unique the personalities of the three can be.

DeAngelo better keep his cool… Hehe.

Ultimately, this news comes somewhat out of nowhere.

Ten days ago (January 14), we learned that DeAngelo was leaving Ivan Demidov and SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL… But we didn’t necessarily expect him to find a job so quickly.

Especially in the NHL!

Let’s remember one thing in all of this, for example.

Last November, the defenseman praised Patrick Roy and highlighted his coaching abilities.

DeAngelo – who played for the Hurricanes in 23-24 – was impressed by the way the Islanders performed in the playoffs last year.

The Hurricanes eliminated the Islanders in five games:

The SKA defenseman sent him flowers on Twitter → https://t.co/MnsvGk8MOl

— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) November 21, 2024

The Islanders are currently second to last in the standings in the East, but are still eight points away from a playoff spot.

Lou Lamoriello needed to do something to help his team – which isn’t scoring much, by the way – and that’s what he did by adding an offensive defenseman to his roster.

The choice may seem a bit strange to some (and for good reason), but DeAngelo has proven himself: we’re talking about a guy with two seasons of 50 points or more in the NHL and he was almost at a point-per-game pace in the KHL this season.

We’ll see if it can work for the defenseman with two other strong personalities in the same organization.

Extension

The Islanders really needed reinforcement on defense with Noah Dobson’s injury.

Because as it stands… let’s say it’s not looking great: