Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Philadelphia is close to a new contract with DeAngelo, who he said gives them what they were missing last season.
"We felt we really struggled to move the puck, we struggled on the power play, we spent too much time in the defensive zone," Fletcher said at the 2022 draft in Montreal on Friday. "Tony is a player with very good talent. He moves the puck well, he can run a power play. We feel not only will he produce offensively but he'll allow some of our forwards to get to their games as well."
DeAngelo had 51 points (10 goals, 41 assists) in 64 regular-season games and 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season. Carolina lost to the New York Rangers in six games in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round.
Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round (No. 19) of the 2014 NHL Draft, DeAngelo has 157 points (34 goals, 123 assists) in 270 regular-season games for the Hurricanes, New York Rangers and Arizona Coyotes, and 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 17 playoff games.
"He's a competitive kid, a player that (Flyers coach) John Tortorella was very excited about," Fletcher said. "We have some left-shot [defensemen] that move the puck well: [Ivan] Provorov, [Travis] Sanheim and [Cam] York, and our only right-shot at this point is [Rasmus] Ristolainen, so we are very thin on that side. I just think Tony protects us. Our power play was, I don't think I need to get into it, but I think we were (12.6) percent, No. 32 in the League. Certainly, the things that Tony is good at will help our team."
DeAngelo had 20 power-play points (two goals, 18 assists) this season.
"I think I do a really good job moving the puck," DeAngelo said. "I've been on the power play a lot of times in my career. Obviously, that's a coach's decision. I run a good power play. I think the Flyers are looking for that kind of player. I can fill a good void for them there. I can move the puck out of the zone. I try to make offensive plays.
"At the same time, I think I've taken a lot of strides on the defensive side of the puck too. That's the main part of the game as a defenseman. You have got to defend. I think I've gotten better and better each year. I continue to improve and plan on improving even more this year. Total package in the game. ... The compete level that I have and the will to do whatever it takes to win. I think that's the Philly mentality. I think that's what I can bring and [the fans] will appreciate that."
Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said Carolina was trying to re-sign DeAngelo as late as Thursday night but could not reach a deal.
"We were trying to obviously talk about an extension and just couldn't get any place with it," Waddell said at the 2022 draft. "And we had teams that were interested, so we did our best to maximize the return value."
Waddell said even though other teams know Carolina needs a defenseman, that should not hinder its ability to add one.
"No, because there's lots of guys that are available so might put us in a better position because some teams are trying to move guys because of money and all that," he said. "So it might work out pretty well for us."
The Flyers also received a seventh-round pick (No. 220) in the 2022 draft in the trade. They used it to select right wing Alexis Gendron.
Fletcher rejected the notion that the trade was made because of the murky status of defenseman Ryan Ellis, who played four games this season because of a lower-body injury.
"Again, he's made progress," Fletcher said. "He very well could be ready early, but there is certainly a chance it could drag into the season. I believe he will play again, I've always believed that, but the timing is a bit murkier.
"The focus is more on making sure he can get healthy and can get back. There's no reason the two of them can't play on the same D corps. Really, in my opinion, we are really 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 will have a pretty strong defense."
Philadelphia (25-46-11) was last in the Metropolitan Division and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season. The Flyers, who allowed the sixth-most goals per game (3.59), hired Tortorella as coach on June 17.
