Tony DeAngelo Is Not a Good Fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are always looking to upgrade their team.

When players become available, it’s worth considering how they may fit with the current roster. It shouldn’t take long for the Leafs to determine that Tony DeAngelo is a player that won’t work on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

According to Frank Seravalli, The Philadelphia Flyers placed DeAngelo on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout on Friday. They decided to part ways with the defenseman after just one season together.

DeAngelo was in the final year of his two-year contract. According to Cap Friendly, the 27-year-old was set to earn $5M this season. The Flyers will have $1.67M added against the cap for the next two seasons as a result of the buyout.

DeAngelo is now an unrestricted free agent, which means he can sign with any team in the NHL who wants to work out a deal. This may be exciting news for a club like the Carolina Hurricanes. The NHL blocked a trade there because it hadn’t been a full year since they traded away the New Jersey native.

The Toronto Maple Leafs should hope that DeAngelo ends up in a Carolina or another Eastern Conference franchise. He has proven to be a problem both on and off the ice, which could spell turmoil for one of the Leafs opponents.

The Leafs are fortunate to have avoided a potentially disastrous trade just four months ago when the Flyers were shopping DeAngelo. No one could have predicted, at that time, that Philadelphia would cut the blue liner loose for no return at all.

DeAngelo has spent years building a reputation in the league as a controversial figure. He has had a plethora of problems, which include fighting with a teammate, fans, and a referee. Worst of all, he has even been suspended for using “race-based language”.

The Leafs should avoid DeAngelo for his past alone, but there’s more to why he isn’t a fit for the organization.

Why Tony DeAngelo Is Not a Good Fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs

DeAngelo is not a good defender.

While the defenseman has proven that he has a valuable offensive upside, he has also proven to be a defensive liability while on the ice.

The Leafs already have a player they’re paying $4.15M to be an offensive defeseman who struggles protecting his own end, John Klingberg. The team doesn’t need a second player with a similar skill set.

DeAngelo couldn’t even get along with his own coach.

It became well known that DeAngelo and his head coach, John Tortorella were at odds. This led to DeAngelo being held out of the lineup as a healthy scratch for the final five game of the season. The Flyers even posted a video on Twitter of DeAngelo answering questions from the media about the situation. In that press conference, he described his benching as “ridiculous”.

It is too risky for the Toronto Maple Leafs to acquire someone who may create unneeded waves in the locker room. This is the second time DeAngelo was dropped by a team in his NHL career over his character. The Buds don’t need to be the third.

Every GM in the league should ask themselves whether they’re sure DeAngelo can change before signing him to a new contract. Hopefully, Brad Treliving doesn’t even entertain the idea.