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Montreal Canadiens

Rangers and Canadiens Tried to Make Interesting DeAngelo Deadline Deal

Reports are that the New York Rangers tried to rid themselves of DeAngelo’s contract with the plan for the Canadiens to acquire him.

One name few people figured they’d hear pop up on trade deadline Monday was Tony DeAngelo of the New York Rangers. A player most insiders had forgotten about because his playing days with the team are pretty much over and done with, his name did make it into the conversation and in an interesting way.

Prior to the deadline closing, DeAngelo’s name came up as a potential option for the Montreal Canadiens. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers were willing to mutually terminate DeAngelo’s contract to allow him to pass through waivers and sign as a free agent. The idea was to free him up so he could sign with the Canadiens on a low-cost, team-friendly deal. From the Canadiens’ perspective, the value of the deal (possibly including a contract for next season), would have made him close to whole. If he’d done so, the Canadiens would have added an offensive defenseman on the cheap and DeAngelo would have had an opportunity in the NHL to rebound a little and make himself more attractive as a player without taking a huge financial hit.

Obviously, it didn’t pan out.

Dreger notes that DeAngelo opted not to accept the deal and chose instead to be bought out of his contract this summer. He’s doing so because he believes another team will be interested in signing him this summer.

Without knowing what Montreal was willing to pay, all we do know is, if DeAngelo has agreed to terminate his deal, he would have lost out on $1 million this year and $5.3 million next year. The other option was to be bought out by the Rangers — which most assume will happen in the summer — and he’ll lose $3.53 million (2/3 of next year’s $5.3M Salary). While he won’t get the chance to play NHL hockey, he saved himself close to $3 million by staying put.

What Would The Canadiens Have Done With DeAngelo?

It’s not clear what the Canadiens would have been offering on a short-term deal, but it likely wasn’t going to be much. The team didn’t have much cap space to work with and they weren’t looking for a top-four defenseman. In fact, he might not have played every game had he signed there.

This would have likely been a short-term rental play by GM Marc Bergevin to add a small piece that had some potential upside. If it worked, he’d have looked like a genius and might have had a player on the cheap for next season. If it didn’t, no harm, no foul.

Next: Taylor Hall Squashed Better Trade Offer Before Joining Bruins

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  1. Pingback: Maple Leafs Had "Intense" Talks On Conor Garland Before Foligno Trade

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