The New York Rangers announced that they have signed their young defender Tony DeAngelo to a two-year contract worth $9.6 million.
The Rangers made it a priority to sign DeAngelo so that they could avoid an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for next week. New York currently has a little less than $11 million left in cap space and two important players to sign, Brendan Lemieux and Ryan Strome.
Both Strome and Lemieux need to be signed before early November in order to avoid arbitration. The Rangers also signed goaltender Alexander Georgiev two a two-year deal this week.
Earlier reports claimed that the Rangers would be using DeAngelo as trade bait since they have several other young prospects in the system that fit the bill as right-handed defenders. However, DeAngelo’s versatility and ability to potentially play on the left side as well makes him a valuable asset to the team.
DeAngelo has also shown offensive prowess, scoring 15 goals and 53 points last season, which was the most scored by a Rangers defenseman since Brian Leetch scored 21 goals almost 20 years ago.
DeAngelo is also a charismatic player and a fan favorite with a personality that fits perfectly with the New York market, making him an asset in that sense as well.
