RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) 鈥 Tony DeAngelo found himself playing a reduced role in his second stint with the Carolina Hurricanes amid a deep roster of defensemen. He could be headed for a larger role in the NHL playoffs with veteran Brett Pesce sidelined by injury.
DeAngelo worked in a pairing with Brady Skjei during practice Wednesday before the Hurricanes traveled north ahead of Game 3 against the New York Islanders on Thursday. Coach Rod Brind鈥橝mour said Pesce is 鈥渕ore than likely鈥 out for the remainder of the first-round series because of during the second period of a Monday.
DeAngelo has been a healthy scratch for the first two postseason games, with the Hurricanes claiming both for a 2-0 series lead.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always tough, but it is what it is,鈥 he said of the limited playing role. 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e got a chance that I can come in and help out and hopefully make a difference.鈥
It鈥檚 a different role this time around for DeAngelo compared with his first stint, after a troubled end to his tenure with the New York Rangers. He went on to work in the top pairing with Jaccob Slavin in those playoffs, filling the void when Dougie Hamilton signed with New Jersey as an offensive threat and key piece to the power play.
But Carolina traded him to Philadelphia after that season, then after the Flyers placed DeAngelo .
This time, though, he鈥檚 been a fill-in after the Hurricanes鈥 strong top six, which typically has Slavin working with Brent Burns at the top, the Pesce-Skjei combination and last summer鈥檚 signing, Dmitry Orlov, paired with Jalen Chatfield.
鈥淗e makes the pairing good just with his skating and the way he defends,鈥 DeAngelo said of Skjei, adding it was similar to playing with Slavin.
Skjei, meanwhile, sees some clear upside in the match, too.
鈥淕et him the puck in the (offensive) zone,鈥 Skjei said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 his biggest strength, obviously. We all know how gifted offensively he is.鈥
DeAngelo played well in his first stint in Carolina, with 10 goals and 41 assists in the 2022 regular season, then he had one goal and nine assists in 14 postseason games in 2022 while averaging 21:31 of ice time. But DeAngelo has appeared in just 11 of 45 games since the start of 2024, averaging 13:33 of ice time in those outings.
Brind鈥橝mour said the elevated role is 鈥渘othing new to him" .
鈥淗e鈥檚 been here before, we had him for a whole year, I think he played almost every game,鈥 Brind鈥橝mour said. 鈥淲e know what we鈥檝e got in that player, that鈥檚 why we went and got him. It was just unfortunate he didn鈥檛 get to play much this year because we were healthy. But this is exactly why you want a guy like that around.鈥
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