The Rangers must now decide their next move with Tony DeAngelo.
After provoking a physical disagreement with goalkeeper Alexandar Georgiev following Saturday’s loss of overtime against the Penguins, which was seemingly the last straw for the Rangers and prompted the organization to put him on the waiver wire on Sunday, the polarizing defender explained from Monday exemptions at 12 noon. .
Apparently, no other team was willing to take on the No. 77 two-year contract, which brings in an annual $ 4.8 million cap, or its off-ice antics.
DeAngelo has most likely played his last game for the Rangers after Saturday night’s incident, which followed a miscommunication between him and Georgiev during extra time that led to Sidney Crosby’s winning goal. DeAngelo made a comment to Georgiev just as the team left the ice, which led to the scuffle.
The Post’s Larry Brooks reported Monday morning that rookie defender K’Andre Miller had broken up and that no other players were involved.
“This is not about one incident, it is not about one thing, and this is a situation that the organization believes was the best at the moment,” said head coach David Quinn on Sunday. “We will see how the situation turns out.”
The Rangers have a few actions they can take to break up with DeAngelo, who was placed at regular intervals rather than unconditional distances. According to the CBA, DeAngelo would have to lift unconditional waivers in order for the team to terminate his contract.
If that is the route the club decides to take, it should claim that DeAngelo has violated Article 14 of the Standard Player Contract, which states that a team “may also terminate this SPC upon written notice to the player if the player does so at any time. will do. a) Failure to comply, disregard or refuse to obey the rules of the Club regarding the training and conduct of Players if such failure, refusal or neglect would be a material violation of this SPC. “
25-year-old DeAngelo and his agent Pat Brisson would certainly take a legal challenge. The Rangers have worked closely with Brisson to find a solution, The Post has learned.
The Rangers were able to find a trading partner, which the team tried and failed to do off-season, but would likely have to keep a significant portion of the money owed to DeAngelo. Orchestrating a transaction would be the most direct way to break up.
It’s safe to say the Rangers don’t want to keep DeAngelo on the team by sending him to the taxi team or the team’s AHL branch in Hartford. If the organization chooses to keep him out of the active NHL roster, it would shave $ 1.075 million off this year’s salary ceiling, but it would still go over his entire salary.
While not ideal, the Rangers would get some wiggle room in the cap and have a more manageable buyout option this summer. By buying out the last year of his contract, the cap would be $ 383,333 for the 2021-22 season and $ 883,333 in 2022-23, per CapFriendly.
Another option for the Rangers is to wait for the Seattle expansion set by July 31, 2021. The Rangers can leave DeAngelo unprotected and hope the Kraken will claim him.
In addition, DeAngelo’s contract can be bought by any team for 1/3 of the remaining contract value because he is under 26 years old.
It is unclear whether the Rangers have the right to simply send DeAngelo home for the remainder of the season and continue to deposit his bimonthly salary immediately if he cannot find another team to take him.
In the six games he played this season, DeAngelo has registered one assist and is collectively minus six. He was on the ice for Crosby’s winner of the overtime match on Saturday, as well as for the Penguins’ first three goals at five-to-five. The Rangers gave DeAngelo a two-year, $ 9.6 million contract after scoring 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists) last season, fourth among NHL defenders.