Flyers Acquire DeAngelo From Carolina
Shortly prior to the start of the second and final day of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers made a trade. The team acquired 26-year-old offensive-minded defenseman Tony DeAngelo from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the 101st pick of the 2022 Draft (defenseman Simon Forsmark), a 2023 third-round selection and a 2024 second-round pick. The Flyers also received a 2022 seventh-round pick (QMJHL forward Alexis Gendron).
It's a risky move, even if looked at solely from the hockey side. I'm skeptical on whether DeAngelo will be a good fit with the type of two-way structure that new head coach John Tortorella will seek to implement. I also think their two personalities could clash over the way DeAngelo plays versus the way Tortorella will want him to play.
The 26-year-old DeAngelo is an impending restricted free agent. His agent received permission to seek a trade partner prior to the player hitting RFA status. It was reported by multiple media sources that the Flyers have signed DeAngelo to a two-year, $10 million ($5 million AAV) contract; however, Chuck Fletcher refuted the reports and said the deal is not done yet.
If the reported contract terms prove accurate and if the Flyers had gone the RFA offer sheet route rather than a trade, the Hurricanes would have received a first-round and a third-round pick from the Flyers as compensation for not matching the offer sheet.
Off-ice issues and controversies aside, the big on-ice question with DeAngelo is whether he'll be able to approach the offensive totals for John Tortorella's Flyers that he produced for the 2019-20 New York Rangers for David Quinn (15 goals, 53 points in 68 games) and the 2021-22 Hurricanes for Rod Brind'Amour (10 goals, 51 points in 64 games). He is a good power-play defenseman and a good puck mover. He's still a risk-taker at 5-on-5 and has a reputation as an off-puck liability. He's worked to improve his defensive game with some results, but he'll never be a shutdown blueliner and generally receives the bulk of his 5-on-5 shifts via offensive zone or on-the-fly starts. He's also still prone to some undisciplined penalties.
Much of the immediate public discourse on the trade -- apart from the hockey ramifications -- has centered on the fact that DeAngelo will be doing his fifth NHL organization, as well as the players' past political posts on his now-deleted Twitter account as well as much-publicized incidents in the OHL with Sarnia and the NHL with the New York Rangers that resulted in his teams cutting ties with him, although DeAngelo mended fences with the other parties.
In terms of how he will be received by Flyers teammates, Kevin Hayes opined (via a text forwarded by Zack Hill), " Tony is one of the most loyal teammates I have ever played with. He will have every guy in that locker room's back. He is a passionate person who played with an edge while being one of the most skilled D-men in the league. The fans here are going to absolutely love him. Ever since I met him, we always joked about him playing in Philly. Everyone should be excited for opening night."
Side note: It will be interesting to see how Hayes himself interacts with Tortorella. While Hays is very well liked in the locker room, there is potential for some of Hayes' on-ice tendencies to lead to player-coach friction with Tortorella. It will be vital for those two to be on the same page through the ups and downs of a season.
Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher of DeAngelo said in a statement, "We're very happy to add Tony to our team and I know he is very excited to join the Flyers," said Flyers general manager and president of hockey operations Chuck Fletcher. "We did our due diligence and we strongly believe in Tony and his ability to help our team. He is a right-handed shot who moves the puck extremely well and will drive offense from the back end for us.”
Following the conclusion of the Draft, Fletcher addressed the media. He was asked to expound upon his "due diligence" statement.
"We actually did a lot of due diligence last summer as well. Tony is a young man. He's played on a lot of teams now. He's somebody that certainly has had some incidents in his past that probably gotten him into some trouble. He's paid the consequences for those actions. We believe he's learned from it. From everything we can gather and speaking with Don Waddell, speaking with some of the Carolina players, speaking with other people around the league, it seems like he's really worked hard the last year and a half to change his ways," Fletcher said.
"He's older. He's maturing. From all accounts he did a good job, both on and off the ice last season. He'll be no different any other player on our team. We hold all the players to a high standard of conduct on and off the ice. John Tortorella is certainly somebody that will hold players accountable and we intend to make sure that everybody's doing the right things all the time on and off the ice. I think Tony's worked hard it appears to focus on hockey and be a good player and be a good teammate."
In terms of the implications of the Draft picks the Flyers hold or have traded away in upcoming Drafts, this how it currently shakes out:
UPCOMING FLYERS DRAFT PICKS
2023: 1st Round, two 3rd Rd (NYR for Justin Braun, FLA for Claude Giroux), two 4th Rd (own, EDM for Derrick Brassard), 5th, 6th and 7th.
2024: Two 1st Rd (own, FLA for Giroux), 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th.
FORTHCOMING FLYERS TRADED PICKS
2023: 2nd Rd to Buffalo for Rasmus Ristolainen, 3rd Rd to Carolina for DeAngelo.
2024 2nd Rd to Carolina for DeAngelo, 2024 fifth rounder to Florida.
For more on the trade, see
Instant Analysis: Flyers Acquire DeAngelo.
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2022 Entry Draft Flyers Draftee Profiles
Cutter Gauthier- First Round (5th Overall)
POSITION: Left Wing/ Center
TEAM/LEAGUE: USNTDP (USHL)
VITALS: 6'2", 189 lbs.
BIRTHDATE: January 19, 2004
BIRTHPLACE: Skellefteå, Sweden
SHOOTS: Left
Born in Sweden, where his Canadian-born father, Sean, was a goaltender for Skellefteå AIK, Gauthier's mother, Kim, is a Reading, PA native and he still has relatives in the area. Because of his mom, he grew up as a Flyers fan despite growing up in Scottdale, Arizona. He played his youth hockey in the famed Honeybaked program.
More importantly, Gauthier checks off a combination of boxes in his scouting profile -- good size plus powerful skating, a very quick shot release, a willingness and ability to battle for pucks and get to the net, strong character, two-way upside as an all-situations player and the potential to either play left wing or center.
Gauthier has primarily played left wing so far in his career but moved to the middle for the US National Team Development Program when teammate Logan Cooley (selected third overall by the Arizona Coyotes) was away with the U.S. National Under-20 team. He is expected to at least start out at center with Boston College, although he could eventually wind up primarily on wing or being a swingman depending upon his linemates. The main question mark with Gauthier at center is whether he'll refine his puckhandling and distributing skills.
Gauthier was a second-half riser in many Draft rankings, and wound up fifth on Bob McKenzie's final rankings list and seventh on Craig Button's list. Button compared Gauthier's playing style and developmental ceiling to be comparable to that of longtime NHL forward Max Pacioretty. Gauthier was ranked third on Central Scouting's final North American skater rankings. McKeen's used ex-Flyer center/winger Jeff Carter as its stylistic comparison player for Gauthier.
Quotebook
“I think it’s a combination of things. Obviously, his size, strength, speed. Very athletic. His testing was off the charts. On the ice, he is physical. He scores goals. He has good hands. It’s really hard to find a player that can be a potential power forward in the National Hockey League. He has a lot of those attributes. We’ll see how he develops and he’s going to a good program at Boston College. He has lots of energy and certainly lots of juice to him, both on and off the ice.” – President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Chuck Fletcher
“It’s such a surreal moment. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of, growing up hearing my named called one day. I’m so happy that the Philadelphia Flyers are the one to do it. I’m extremely excited for the future and to see what it holds.” – Cutter Gauthier
DEVIN KAPLAN– 3rd Round (69th Overall)
POSITION: RW
TEAM/LEAGUE: USNTDP (USHL)
VITALS: 6’3”, 204 lbs.
BIRTHDATE: January 10, 2004
BIRTHPLACE: Bridgewater, NJ
SHOOTS: Right
PLAYER PROFILE
Kaplan's identity as a player is one of a big-framed power forward with a non-stop motor and strong competitive drive. He plays a straightforward north-south game, takes the body regularly, is tenacious in puck battles and is an above-average straight-line skater.
On the stacked USNTDP program, Kaplan played a bottom-six role and posted a combined 13 goals, 38 points and 59 penalty minutes in 2021-22 (including eight goals, 18 points and 36 penalty minutes in 22 games against USHL competition). Representing Team USA at the Under-18 World Championships, Kaplan chipped in six points (one goal, five assists) in six games.
Kaplan is headed for Boston University in 2022-23. Eventually, he projects as a potential high-energy third-line or fourth-line pro. Because of his and strong and well-conditioned frame, he is hard to take off the puck.
Quotebook
“He’s a power forward. He’s strong on pucks down low. He’s heavy. He plays physical. He’s a tough kid. At the same time, he started making plays and showing a lot more confidence with the puck... I think his skating has been fine. Straight-line, he’s a powerful kid. Maybe he can try to be a little quicker just like any big guy. We’ll see at camp. I don’t think skating is going to be any issue."
” – Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Brent Flahr.
"I bumped him up (after the Under-18 World Championships. I thought he had a good tournament. He rarely takes a night off and creates chances with his (straight-line) speed, size and determination.”
-- NHL amateur scout, quoted in 2022 Recrutes Draft Guide
ALEX BUMP- 5th Round (133rd Overall)
POSITION: Left Wing
TEAM/LEAGUE: Omaha Lancers (USHL)
VITALS: 6'0", 195 lbs.
BIRTHDATE: November 20, 2023
BIRTHPLACE: Prior Lake, Minnesota
SHOOTS: Left
PLAYER PROFILE
Bump split the 2021-22 season between the high school level in his native Minnesota and the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. At the USHL
He will spend the 2022-23 season in the USHL with Omaha, where his role is expected to expand from last season. Bump has a goal-scoring touch and can score from distance.
Bump captained the Prior Lake (Minnesota) High School team where he scored 48 goals in 31 games; third best among all Minnesota high schoolers in 2021-22 despite spending about half the season in the USHL with Omaha.
With Omaha, Bump added 11 goals and 17 points in 27 regular season games this past season. He added two goals and three points in four USHL playoff games. He was ranked 63rd among North American skaters by Central Scouting, 91st overall by McKeen's and 114th overall by Recrutes.
Starting in 2023-24, Bump will attend the University of Vermont. The Flyers will hold the 2023 late birthday player's NHL rights for a maximum of the next five years. He will have plenty of time to develop.
Quotebook
“He came on the scene this year. He’s one, if not probably the top player in Minnesota high school this year. He started in the USHL and came back. He had a big, big year in high school and finished strong when he went back to the USHL. We’re all excited about him. Obviously, he’s going back to play another year of junior and then off to Vermont. I think he'll have a big role right away."
– Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Brent Flahr.
"I’m more offensive-minded, probably. I’m trying to use my offensive abilities to play my best offensive game that I can... Honestly, I thought I was going to go higher, but I’m happy to be picked."
-- Alex Bump
""[Bump] is a skilled sniper who needs to 'bump up' his compete level."
-- Grant McCagg, former Montreal Canadiens scout, 2022 Recrutes Draft Guide
HUNTER MCDONALD-- 6th Round (165th overall)
POSITION: Defenseman
TEAM/LEAGUE: Chicago Steel ( USHL)
VITALS: 6'3", 207 lbs.
BIRTHDATE: May. 11, 2002
BIRTHPLACE: Fairport, NY
SHOOTS: Left
PLAYER PROFILE
A late-blooming product of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program, the 20-year-old defenseman has played the last two seasons at the USHL level. He is headed for Northeastern University as a freshman in 2022-23.
He is a defensive-minded defenseman with good size, and a physical edge to his game. Also has a heavy shot but does not project as a power play type.
Quotebook
"He’s got a heavy shot. He’s a hard nosed, big D. He makes you pay the price. He’s a late bloomer though. He’s a guys that we saw last year. He was on his way. This year when I saw him, I caught him before Christmas and Shane was bringing up his name. He’s had a big impact on games physically, but then he was traded to Chicago, which is a totally different style of play. It took him some time to adjust. He’s a raw kid still a little bit, but he is mean and big. He’s physical. He’s a strong skater straight-line. He’s had a little longer path, but he’s going to a good program at Northeastern. Tom Minton and our US guys are real excited."
-- Brent Flahr
" My parents immediately started crying and my sister gasping. It’s a long day, sitting around, but I always maintain confidence... [What do I need to work on?] My feet. The game is super-fast. I’ll keep moving pucks quick and get it to the forwards. Defensively a little bit, but I’m going to stay true to myself and what I do well. That’ll take me somewhere. I definitely think (my offense) can come around. I want to stay true to my roots and do what I do best. That’s what’s going to help me be successful and help the team. Best attribute is my size, being physical. Make it hard for the other team. Shut down top lines. PKer guy and do that kind of stuff. Stick up for my team."
-- Hunter McDonald
SANTERI SULKU -- 7th Round (165th overall)
POSITION: Left Wing/ Center
TEAM/LEAGUE: Jokerit J20 (U-20 SM-Sarja)
VITALS: 6'4", 194 lbs.
BIRTHDATE: Jun. 13, 2004
BIRTHPLACE: Helsinki, Finland
SHOOTS: Left
PLAYER PROFILE
Born in Helsinki but raised partially in neighboring Sweden, Sulku played at the U16 to U18 levels in the Brynäs IF Gävle junior system. He returned to Helsinki in 2020 and spent the last two seasons in the Jokerit junior chain for their U18 and U20 teams. Come next season, he will be back in Sweden to play for the Modo Hockey Örnsköldsvik J20 team.
Sulku is a very tall but still a physically underdeveloped and raw talent but he has a good touch around the net and competes. He did not play for Finland's national team at the U18 World Championships in 2022 but did get into four preceding international tournament games, chipping in one goal and one assist.
The young man is the son of Sebastian Sulku, who had a 12-year professional career as an offensive-minded defenseman in the top pro leagues in Finland and Sweden. The younger Sulku is much taller and currently thinner than his dad. Sebastian Sulku played at about 210 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Santeri, a forward, also projects over time to add some muscular weight to his 6-foot-4 frame.
Quotebook
"Sulku is tall, lanky, a little raw. He’s got really good hands, shoots the puck and can skate. He’s going to have to evolve his game a little more North American style as he fills out and gets a little stronger. A lot of tools to work with. It’s just changing his game a little bit going forward."
-- Brent Flahr
ALEXIS GENDRON -- 7th Round (220th overall)
POSITION: Center/ Right Wing
TEAM/LEAGUE: Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
VITALS: 5'9", 174 lbs.
BIRTHDATE:Dec..30, 2003
BIRTHPLACE: Côteau-du-Lac, Quebec
SHOOTS: Left
PLAYER PROFILE
A late 2003 birth-year player who rose from the junior A level in Quebec and came into his own in the QMJHL this season for Bruce Richardson's Blainville-Boisbriand club, Gendron tallied 30 goals to lead his team in 2022-23. He's always known how to finish plays. Most notably, he had a 54-goal season in 30 games of midget hockey for É. Sec. Du Chêne-Bleu. Gendron broke into the QMJHL level for the Armada in 2020-21 (nine goals, 14 points in 31 games) and saw his role expand this past season.
Alexis' father is former NHL player Martin Gendron, who has been a Quebec-based amateur scout for the Flyers for several years. According to Flahr, the elder Gendron more or less recused himself from the scouting evaluation and drafting process for his son.
Alexis posted 46 points (30g, 16a) in 66 games for Blainville-Boisbriand in 2022-23; tops on the team in goals and one point behind Oleksii Myklukha for the overall scoring lead on the club. In six games during the 2022 President's Cup (QMJHL championship) playoffs, Gendron scored four goals and added one assist for five points.
He was ranked No. 141 by Central Scouting among North American skaters eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. McKeen's ranked Gendron 71st overall among all draft-eligible players.
Quotebook
"Marty Gendron is not really happy with me. He’s a guy that I had, as did Todd Hearty and some of our scouts. When we went through this a couple of years ago with Mark Greig’s son, he’s a really good player. I had argument with him then that if he fell another spot, we’re going to take him. He basically didn’t want do it to him because of you [media} guys, which I don’t really care about. If you saw Ridly Greig play now, you wouldn’t be upset that he’s a Flyer. Alexis is a really competitive kid. He’s grown a huge amount. When I saw him a couple of years ago, he was five foot, and look up his height and weight when he was drafted to the Quebec league. He’s come a long way. He’s highly competitive. He can score. He’s a no brainer for us.... I told [Marty] we were at the end and I got the clearance. He wasn’t involved in any meetings. I dealt with the other Quebec guys and the guys at work, so we made that decision."
-- Brent Flahr
"To be honest, it’s incredible. It means the world to me. I was a little bit stressed at the end in the seventh round. I know it’s cliché as a quote, but it’s the best time of my life. It’s a great day and all of my family is here. It’s awesome.... When I arrived to the table, Todd told me it was the pick. My dad told me it’s not mine, it’s Todd and Brent. I was kind of laughing because my dad is part of the organization. I’m happy to be there and it’s a great organization. I’m really happy.... I want to bring my speed, for sure. I am a fast skater. I like to shoot the puck. I am still working on my two-way game, to be honest. I want to be the best two-way player I can be. I want to bring that to the Flyers... My plan for next season is to play for Armada again. I’m going to be back as a 19 player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. I need to work on my defense. Defensively, I need to be better. It’s something I’ve been working on for the past year. I will get there. I know it. I have to just keep working on it."
-- Alexis Gendron
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Post-Draft Transcript: Chuck Fletcher
How do you view using Tony DeAngelo going forward?
We've been speaking with a lot of teams, looking for a right shot defenseman. Last year we felt we really struggled to move the puck. We struggled on the powerplay. We spent too much time in the defensive zone. Tony is a player with very good offensive talent. He moves the puck well. He can run a power play. He's had a couple of 50-point seasons. We think that not only will he produce offensively but will allow some of our forwards to have a better chance to get to their games offensively as well. I've been speaking with Don for a while. I know they've been engaged in contract talks with Tony's representation. I think it got to a point where they preferred to move him. We were ready last night and today to do that.
What does the acquisition of Tony DeAngelo mean for Ryan Ellis? Obviously, you guys have $5 million tied up in Ristolainen, $6 million tied up in Ellis, and now a significant contract to coming to DeAngelo, Does that imply that there's concern that Ryan might not be ready?
There's been concern for a while. Again, he's made progress. He very well could be ready early, but there's certainly a chance that it could drag into the season. I do believe he'll play again; I've always felt that. The timing is a little murkier, and frankly, the focus is a little bit more on making sure he gets healthy and can get back. There's no reason the two of them can't play on the same D-corps. In my opinion, we're very thin on the right side. We are thin in terms of players that can manage the puck and move the puck well. Tony will bring those elements. If Ryan is able to get back in the near future, then I think we'd have a pretty strong defense.
Is there anything in Tony's skill set specifically that made him a target for you and the brass?
Skating, passing, puck skills. He's a competitive kid. He's a player that John Tortorella was very, very excited about. I just think the skillset. We have some left-shot players that move the puck, Provorov, Sanheim and York. Until Ellis gets back, our only pure right-shot at this point is Ristolainen. We're very thin on that side. We have a young guy, Ronnie Attard, that's going to push to try to make the team. I just think Tony protects us. Our power play, I don’t know if I need to get into that, was I think 12% and 32 in the league. Certainly, the things that Tony is good at, he'll really help our team. Those are a lot of our weaknesses.
Any assurance on the extension?
I've had conversations with Pat this morning and actually pretty good talk with Don Waddell. Don actually filled me in about what they were trying to accomplish. Don can probably speak better to it, but they seem to hit a little bit of an impasse or have a little bit of a gulf. I'm not sure what they may be trying to do. I think we’re a little bit more comfortable with the range. He has arbitration rights, so that kind of keeps both sides. It's no finalized, but I think we both have a pretty good understanding where it's going to go.
In the release, you mentioned you did your due diligence and looking into him. What went into that? And what gave you the confidence that this was the guy you want?
We actually did a lot of due diligence last summer as well. Tony is a young man. He's played on a lot of teams now. He's somebody that certainly has had some incidents in his past that probably gotten him into some trouble. He's paid the consequences for those actions. We believe he's learned from it. From everything we can gather and speaking with Don Waddell, speaking with some of the Carolina players, speaking with other people around the league, it seems like he's really worked hard the last year and a half to change his ways. He's older. He's maturing. From all accounts he did a good job, both on and off the ice last season. He'll be no different any other player on our team. We hold all the players to a high standard of conduct on and off the ice. John Tortorella is certainly somebody that will hold players accountable and we intend to make sure that everybody's doing the right things all the time on and off the ice. I think Tony's worked hard it appears to focus on hockey and be a good player and be a good teammate.
Obviously, one of the sticking points with him a few years ago was not just the incident with the Georgiev, but also his social media presence. Are you confident that that's in the past as well that he's going to stay off those types of platforms?
Yes. I think he's made that decision to, again, focus his energy to playing on the ice and being a good teammate and toning down some of the rhetoric and toning down some of that activity. I intend to sit down with him in the next couple of days and talk to him, get to know him a lot better. I don't anticipate any issues. He had a terrific season. He's in a good place right now. Again, speaking with some people today, they raved about the type of person he is in the locker room and the type of teammate he is. I think we're confident that this will be a good relationshi
As a follow up to that, what would you say to the fans that look at his history? He has the (ethnic) slur He has the fight with the teammate. What would you say to fans that are not comfortable with this acquisition for those reasons?
Well, you certainly have to appreciate their opinion. Again, he's made some mistakes and he's apologized for them. He's suffered consequences for them. Some of the mistakes earlier in his career, he hasn't had any repeat offenses so to speak. Again, I think he's maturing and from everything we can gather, he's working hard to be a better person both on and off the ice
If this does come to fruition, what is new contract here limiting yourself with the cap space? Do you feel like you can make a little bit more moves to see where you feel like you're good enough at this game right now?
Well, we'll take a look and see what happens over the next week or two in terms of are there any additional trades and get a little bit more information on some of the players we have. We felt are our biggest need was a puck moving defenseman. Somebody again to help transition the puck, help on the powerplay and Tony, certainly check those boxes.
You mentioned that you hope to sit down with Tony in the coming days. Have you already spoken with him? Just to clarify?
Yes. I've spoken with him by phone, but I have not sat down with him in person. I'll do that when we get back to Philadelphia.
You mentioned about John Tortorella being on board with this. Are you at all concerned about the potential fit between Tortorella, who is definitely someone who holds players to high defensive standards and a player who has just lacked in that area in the past?
I think John really holds his players to a standard, I believe, of effort and team orientation and treating people the right way, both on and off the ice. I think if you run and follow them in those aspects and you'll hear from it. The defensive side, we believe Tony's improved that part of the game. We're not expecting him to come in and be an elite defender. We wanted to get him so we don't have to defend as much. I think he'll complement some of the players we have pretty well. Provorov, and Sanheim, in terms of left-shots are both, I think, really strong defenders. Tony, I think, can complement those players a little bit as well. I know Torts is very excited to work with him. He loves the passion. He loves the fire. He loves his skill set. Again, as long as you work hard for Torts and you're a good teammate, on and off the ice, you generally don't have a lot of issues.
Looking at the free agency, how do you see the market? It looks like there's a lot of talented players out there. Maybe more so than usual.
There's still maybe some more with non-tenders coming up, assuming there are non-tenders. It's a pretty deep group of free agents. It's going to be interesting. I know some of the prominent ones are still being pursued aggressively by their current teams or former teams. It'd be pretty interesting next few days to see who signs prior to the deadline.
You took two players from the National Team program. You have Cam York and Joel Farabee from the US program. What is it about that program that made it such a hot spot for future NHL talent that you guys keep going back to that?
The whole development model they have is excellent. They have a great off-ice program. They play a lot of games. They play junior games. They play against kids their own age, but they also play against collegiate players. It's just the schedule they have is excellent. The off-ice program they have is excellent. There's a lot of highly driven and motivated kids that play for the program. I think they push each other and challenge each other. It really has been an incredible concept and every year it continues to amaze me how many players they produce.
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