Islanders' Tony DeAngelo has 'been a phenomenal teammate' in his first full year with the team
Tony DeAngelo of the New York Islanders celebrates a goal in the third period against the New Jersey Devils at UBS Arena on Jan. 6, 2026. Credit: Getty Images/Al Bello
There’s perception, and then there’s the actual person and hockey player.
All Tony DeAngelo asked from the Islanders one year ago was that he be judged on the latter, going so far as to tell former president/general manager Lou Lamoriello that he’d cut himself from the roster if he stepped out of line.
The off-ice perception started from his opinionated social media presence with the Rangers and grew when his tenure ended in 2021 as he was waived after an altercation with goalie Alex Georgiev. The Flyers also bought him out in 2023 halfway through a two-year, $10 million deal, so he went to the Hurricanes but didn’t play consistently, winding up in the KHL to start the 2024-25 season.
On the ice, he’d come to be thought of as a power-play specialist with suspect defensive skills.
Lamoriello brought him back from Russia on Jan. 24, 2025, after injuries thinned the Islanders' defense corps. In the year since, the Islanders have come to value DeAngelo as a beloved teammate and steady presence in their lineup, comprising a second pair with Adam Pelech.
“Tony’s been great,” Anders Lee told Newsday. “It was seamless last year, seamless this year. Veteran guy. He’s played hockey in different parts of the world. He’s seen a lot, he’s been through a lot. There’s a maturity that comes from that. He’s been a phenomenal teammate, a good friend and I love hanging out with him. I’m so happy he’s on our team. He’s not afraid to call it like it is and it’s refreshing.”
DeAngelo knew what others in the NHL thought of him as he headed to the KHL. In Lamoriello, he found an executive willing to see who DeAngelo believed himself to be. He had four goals and 15 assists in 35 games last season after joining the Islanders because of injuries to defensemen Noah Dobson and Mike Reilly, and new GM Mathieu Darche re-signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million deal.
“To be honest, depending on how I played, it could have been a three-week run,” DeAngelo told Newsday. “I remember talking to my parents about it when I was deciding between here and another team. ‘I could go to the Islanders and guys are coming back in three weeks and it could be a roster crunch. I don’t know what the hell is going to happen.’ But I really, really, really liked Lou, and that’s why I ultimately decided to come here. So a year in, it’s been great, more than I could have asked for.”
DeAngelo and Lamoriello had some honest conversations about DeAngelo’s past — and the perception of him — before agreeing to a deal.
“There were different reasons that they weren’t willing to sign me, some teams, that I disagreed with,” DeAngelo said. “But Lou is one of the only guys that actually sat down with me and gave me a chance to chat it out and see if he had any interest in signing me. I told every team before, ‘If you have any worries, if you sign me, if I do anything wrong, I’ll terminate my own contract. I don’t care about your money. I just want to play.’ I made my agent [Pat Brisson] put that out there at the time, and still nobody bought.
“I’m grateful to be here and I’m loyal to this organization now as well. I’m hoping to stay here for a while longer.”
DeAngelo quickly clarified that he and Darche have had no negotiations yet about a potential extension.
“We haven’t gone down that path,” DeAngelo said. “I’m just focused on playing as well as I can. I had a bad preseason. I had a bad first 10 games. The last 40 games, I’ve gotten back to my game and I’m feeling good.”
DeAngelo did not play in the Islanders’ 3-1 win over the visiting Flyers on the day he signed. Dennis Cholowski, now a depth piece for the Devils, and Isaiah George, currently with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, were in the lineup.
DeAngelo made his Islanders debut by logging 25:07 in a 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Hurricanes on Jan. 25, 2025. He recorded his first assist for the team in the next game against the Avalanche and scored his first Islanders goal in overtime of a 3-2 road victory over the Lightning on Feb. 1.
“He stepped in right away, on the ice, off the ice,” defenseman Ryan Pulock told Newsday. “He really grew his game. This year he’s been really steady for us. He’s been a big addition to our team.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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