Tony DeAngelo
There are many people that the Carolina Hurricanes will rely on night in and night out going forward. Players with top-end talent will always be relied on. Players who have something to prove will be relied on. People who have both will be very good stories to follow all year round. This is where we talk about Anthony DeAngelo.
As someone who has been controversial in many of his previous homes in the NHL, DeAngelo is going to be a story that the Hurricanes will need to follow. If he can keep his mouth shut and stay on the team, then he is going to be a very important player for the team moving forward. But tonight he makes his debut, and he needs to prove why the Canes signed him and suffered such a backlash to do so.
DeAngelo is a very talented offensive defenseman. There’s no dancing around that. He is two seasons removed from a 53 point season. He’s clearly got upside to his play. His issues are mostly character-related, and he’s being asked to work on that off the ice so that the Hurricanes can reap the rewards on it.
We know that DeAngelo is being used as the Hamilton replacement. There’s no getting around that. He’s going to primarily play on the top pairing and on the top powerplay unit. He has the same defensive frailties as his predecessor but has more to grow than Dougie did because of the fact DeAngelo is only just turning 26.
Tonight against the Islanders, transitioning the puck through the neutral zone so the team can get extended time in the offensive zone is going to be essential to ensuring two vital points to start the season off. Also, keeping that powerplay in the top 5 will see the Canes become a true favorite for the Stanley Cup. Special teams are crucial throughout a season.
Tonight’s game is game 1 for both teams. Puck drop at 7 PM Eastern on Balley sports with Mike Maniscalo and Tripp Tracy at PNC Arena. If you cannot watch the game, I will be live-tweeting during the game on the Cardiac Cane Twitter account, feel free to come and talk to me! Otherwise, that’s it for this one, and for the first time this season, LETS GO CANES!