Rangers place DeAngelo on waivers

The Rangers placed Tony DeAngelo on unconditional waivers Friday for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract, officially bringing the exiled defenseman’s turbulent fouryear tenure in New York to an end.

With an eventual buyout, the Blueshirts will save more than $3.5 million of DeAngelo’s $5.3 million salary but still carry a two-year dead cap charge for $383,000 and $833,000, respectively. DeAngelo will become an unrestricted free agent once the buyout is executed after passing through waivers, but he won’t be able to sign with a team until free agency begins on July 28.

DeAngelo played his last game in a Rangers sweater on Jan. 30 after he got into a postgame tussle with goalie Alexandar Georgiev in the tunnel. He was waived the following day, but then-general manager Jeff Gorton made it clear the organization was moving on from the 25-year-old.

The spectacle of the scuffle with his teammate was the last straw for the Rangers with DeAngelo. After a few other off-the-ice issues, including his social media presence, DeAngelo started the 2020-21 season on the wrong foot when he was benched for earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after slamming the penalty box door in the first game.

Gorton said he told the New Jersey native if his name came up again he would be put on waivers.

The Rangers acquired DeAngelo from the Coyotes in a 2017 draft-day trade in exchange for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. DeAngelo had a known history in the Ontario Hockey League, which included getting suspended twice for violating the league’s harassment, abuse and diversity policy.

DeAngelo posted 30 points (four goals, 26 assists) in 2018-19 before leading all Rangers defenseman with 53 points, including 15 goals, in 68 games the following season. After dishing one assist in six games before his banishment, DeAngelo finished his Rangers tenure with 19 goals and 73 assists in 167 games.