New York Rangers defenceman Tony DeAngelo cleared waivers on Monday, raising questions about what the team will do with the controversial player next.
Edmonton Oilers winger Alex Chiasson was the only player placed on waivers Monday.
DeAngelo's relationship with the Rangers was already fractured but new reports over the weekend, including from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, showed how an incident after Saturday's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins was the last straw.
"They go off the ice, (Alexander) Georgiev is sitting, disappointed -- like any competitive person, especially a goaltender, would be after a game like that -- and DeAngelo walks by him and makes a sarcastic crack to him, and Georgiev clocks him," Friedman reported on the 31 Thoughts podcast. "They go at it, and their teammates break it up. Later that night, the Rangers call DeAngelo [or his agent] and they say, 'That's the last straw. You're going on waivers tomorrow.' And then at noon ET [on Sunday], that's what happens."
Now that DeAngelo clears, the Rangers could buy him out and take a cap penalty for two years at one-third of his $4.8 million salary. The Rangers can also keep DeAngelo in the lineup, assign him to the taxi squad or the AHL. While his future with the team isn't immediately clear, Friedman said on the podcast that the defenceman has likely played his last game in a Rangers uniform.
"I don't think that anybody expects that Tony DeAngelo will play for the Rangers again," Friedman said. "I think it's most likely he's sent home and he waits it out."
