It was a big night for Tony DeAngelo on Thursday when he became the first Rangers defenseman to record a regular-season hat trick in nearly 38 years and the second ever to post five points.
But it had been a big day for No. 77 on Wednesday, too, and neither he nor the Blueshirts even played. That’s because 25-year-old Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson signed a six-year contract extension worth $4.55 million per that will kick in next season upon expiration of his entry-level deal.
Andersson had a career total of 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) in 135 career games entering the Flames’ home match against the Wild on Thursday. DeAngelo has 36 points (11-25) in 43 games this season.
How’s that for a comparable?
How high do you think DeAngelo’s numbers will climb when the arbitration-eligible pending restricted free agent sits down to talk turkey following the season? And how much space will the Rangers have with which to work under the cap when that time arrives?
DeAngelo, whom the Rangers simply could not accommodate for more than a one-year, $925,000 deal this past season in a protracted negotiation/stalemate that bled into training camp, is on a full-season, 69-point pace. Eleven defensemen have reached that number since the league reopened in 2005-06; seven of them are Norris Trophy winners.
Nothing will come easily for management approaching the Feb. 24 trade deadline. There is the three-goaltender boondoggle that surely can’t last all that long in the wake of Igor Shesterkin’s second straight victory, this one a 46-save dandy. There are pending unrestricted free agents Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast with whom to deal … or deal.
And there are the matters of DeAngelo and fellow arbitration-eligible pending restricted free agent Ryan Strome, himself on nearly a point-per-game pace (12-29-41) following a two-assist night that could push him into the $5.5 million-to-$6 million per range if he can keep it up.
Before 2005, it would have been easy. The Rangers would have been able to keep them all. Now, not.
For the longest time, DeAngelo was the guy whose production was going to price him out of New York. It wasn’t only going to be the money either, for a guy whose exploits in his own zone still can leave much to be desired. Because the right side of the blue line is deep, with Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox here and the extremely impressive Nils Lundkvist, the 28th-overall selection of 2018, on the way, perhaps as soon as next season following a standout performance for Sweden in the World Juniors.
So it seemed as if DeAngelo would be expendable. But DeAngelo, a righty, is very comfortable on the left, where he played nearly all his junior career in Sarnia. So there is that. There is this too: Nobody gives away defensemen with the tools No. 77 brings to the rink. Nobody gives away offensive forces like this. If the Rangers are going to trade DeAngelo, they had better get a premium, young, power forward with controllable contract years in return.
There were maturity — or, perhaps, immaturity — issues with DeAngelo last season that prompted David Quinn to bench or scratch the South Jersey Boy several times, and a couple of times for protracted periods. That has not happened this season, though the coach mentioned a couple of rocky times early in the year.
“It wasn’t smooth sailing early. I thought early on he was good and then we had a couple of conversations and he was not in a great
spot,” Quinn said. “But the last two months, he’s really done a great job.
“Guys grow up and become more mature. They evolve. I can’t say enough good things about him in every aspect. He’s a true pro now.”
DeAngelo told The Post he believes he and the coach are “on the same page.”
“There were a couple of games early when I didn’t get a lot of ice time and we talked about it,” DeAngelo said after the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the Devils. “They were good conversations, not the kind where I’d say something to get me in trouble. I know enough. Quinney has let me loose and given me the opportunity to succeed.”
There are still issues with work in the defensive zone that No. 77 at times approaches selectively. He was not strong enough in front when Kevin Rooney scored a first-period shorthanded goal. Still, DeAngelo kind of made up for that by the time he checked into the first intermission with a goal and two assists.
The Rangers remain on the edges of the playoff hunt. That is one concern. Another is the deadline. Another is next season’s cap. And DeAngelo seems to be at the nexus of all of it.
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