The six-month saga between the New York Rangers and defenseman Tony DeAngelo is seemingly coming to an end. New York has placed the 25-year-old on unconditional waivers to begin buying out his contract, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
DeAngelo will become an unrestricted free agent once he passes through waivers and the buyout is executed, as the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli noted.
The process would go as follows for DeAngelo, per CapFriendly.
| Season | Initial cap hit | New cap hit | Annual cap savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | $4.8M | $383K | $4.4M |
| 2022-23 | $0 | $883K | -$883K |
In February, former general manager Jeff Gorton announced the New Jersey native had played his last game as a Ranger.
The tumultuous situation came to a head due to a skirmish between DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev following the club’s January 30 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The franchise placed DeAngelo on waivers the following day.
The blue-liner went unclaimed and didn't suit up for another NHL contest in the 2020-21 season.
The Montreal Canadiens were apparently interested in him in April, but he didn’t accept. DeAngelo also reportedly rejected New York's offer to mutually terminate his contract - which would have allowed him to sign elsewhere as a free agent - opting to be bought out this summer instead.
The Rangers signed DeAngelo to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.8 million beginning in the 2020-21 campaign. DeAngelo spent four seasons in the Big Apple.
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