2.) Tony DeAngelo
Admittedly, DeAngelo is his own worst enemy, which may just help the Colorado Avalanche. The New Jersey native was a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that knows talent, in 2014. He never played for Tampa and has bounced around across eight years in the NHL, playing with four different teams.
His most notable stint was with the New York Rangers, where he played parts of four seasons with the team. He had his best statistical season in 2019-20 while on Broadway, scoring 53 points in only 68 games, as well as scoring 15 goals and quarterbacking the power play.
Colorado doesn’t need DeAngelo to quarterback the Power Play. They’ve already got somebody for that. In fact, they don’t even need him to play major minutes.
If DeAngelo can keep his head on straight (as the saying goes) and his emotions in check, he can really help the Avalanche. That is if he’s buried the hatchet with goalie Alexandar Georgiev, whom he had a scuffle with that ultimately earned him his walking papers from New York.
What team wouldn’t need a puck moving, offensive minded defenseman with the ability to get under the oppositions’ skin (his own team too)? To add to those qualities, DeAngelo is only 29 years old.
For his sake, he needs to realize he may be on his last nerve with the NHL. His attitude and tendency to not play well with others has gotten him to that point. He’s a polarizing figure and most people either love him or hate him, likely just the way he likes it. DeAngelo would likely jump at the chance to play with a loaded roster in Colorado, and it’s a low risk move for the Avs.