New Flyer Tony DeAngelo’s past includes suspensions for verbal abuse, fighting a teammate — and some good hockey

Early Friday morning, the Flyers made a major splash that sent reverberations around the NHL. The team traded with the Carolina Hurricanes for talented but controversial defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

Here’s everything you need to know about the team’s newest D-man, his past, and what the Flyers can expect from him on and off the ice ...

DeAngelo is an offensive defenseman who can generate offense both as a playmaker and with his shot. He specializes in quarterbacking the power play, where he was so successful for both the New York Rangers and the Hurricanes.

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He is from Sewell, Gloucester County, which is less than 20 miles from the Wells Fargo Center. He grew up in Washington Township and played locally for the Mercer Chiefs. DeAngelo represented the Junior Flyers at the 2008 Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament.

And, as it turns out, he’s a lifelong fan of the Orange and Black.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” DeAngelo said in a statement released by the team on Friday. “I was born in Jersey, but really my entire family besides myself comes from Philly. That’s where we lived. Been a Flyers fan since the day I can remember. Like I said, it’s a dream come true. ... I could not be more excited to put the jersey over my shoulders.”

The 26-year-old blue-liner posted 10 goals and 51 points last season and was a plus-30 for the Hurricanes. DeAngelo is a power-play specialist, and 22 of his points came with the man advantage last season. In 270 career games, DeAngelo has racked up 34 goals and 157 points. His best offensive year came in 2019-20 when he reached career highs in goals (15) and points (53).

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Well, that’s complicated. On the ice, DeAngelo fits a real need for the Flyers as a puck-moving defenseman and a power-play quarterback. He is a smooth skater, has a good shot, and provides an insurance policy if injured defenseman Ryan Ellis’ health situation doesn’t improve.

His defense is more of a question mark, as he is turnover-prone and is undersized at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. On Friday, DeAngelo said he has made “strides” in this regard but it is hard not to think his numbers defensively are a bit misleading and a by-product of being part of a great defensive team in Carolina.

In other words, there are reasons to be excited, but as with most trades there are also reasons for concern. And in the case of DeAngelo, those concerns have less to do with his style of play and more with some off-ice issues that have gotten the defenseman in trouble over the years.

As good offensively as DeAngelo is, he comes with a lot of baggage and a disturbing past. In junior hockey, he was suspended twice by the Ontario Hockey League for violating its harassment, abuse, and diversity policy while playing for the Sarnia Sting. Both incidents reportedly surrounded DeAngelo directing racially insensitive language at either an opponent or a teammate. He was also suspended three games for verbally abusing referees in juniors on a separate occasion.

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Controversy has followed DeAngelo into the NHL, as the Rangers sent him away from the team and ultimately waived him following a series of behavioral issues, the final one being a physical altercation in 2021 with then-Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev.

In the past, DeAngelo was vocal on Twitter in his support of former President Donald Trump, particularly during the attack on the Capitol. DeAngelo called Twitter a “disgrace” and deleted his own account. He also faced backlash for minimizing the COVID-19 pandemic on the social media platform.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher addressed some of those character concerns in a statement on Friday.

“We’re very happy to add Tony to our team and I know he is very excited to join the Flyers,” said Fletcher. “We did our due diligence and we strongly believe in Tony and his ability to help our team. He is a right-handed shot who moves the puck extremely well and will drive offense from the back end for us.”

DeAngelo is a restricted free agent after playing last season for the ‘Canes on a one-year contract as he sought to repair his image around the league. The Flyers technically traded for his negotiating rights and not the player, although reports say he has agreed to sign a two-year, $10 million ($5 AAV) contract with the team.