The elusive defenseman secures his future on Long Island, bringing vital puck-moving skills and power-play expertise back to a roster hungry for a deep postseason run.
WESTBURY, NY -- On June 26, the New York Islanders announced that they had signed veteran defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year deal worth $4.5 million annually.
On Monday, we spoke with DeAngelo for the firs time since he resigned.
"That was good. It worked out good," DeAngelo said. "I kind of went through it a little bit with Darchy there. It was a pretty good negotiation. Obviously, we try to get as many years as you want. I might have asked him for a third. But it was good. I’m really happy to be back. It’s where I wanted to be. The team’s been good to me, so I’m glad we could do two more years.”
While DeAngelo may not be a defensive specialist, his ability to skate with and move the puck proved incredibly important. When he was out of the lineup down the stretch last year, the team fell apart structurally.
"I was so happy when we signed him back," Islanders captain Bo Horvat said. "He’s a great guy off the ice, everybody loves him in the room but he's a great player too. He moves the puck so well. He’s elusive. His offensive abilities are what we need back there. He was a huge add to our team. Really happy we kept him.”
Head coach Pete DeBoer, who took over with four games to go in the 2025-26 season, mentioned how much he and his system value the mobile defenseman.
The Hockey News asked him about how key DeAngelo is to this team and why it was so important to bring him back.
"It's really important. I like to play the game fast. I like to play the game on our toes and offensively," DeBoer said. " When you just think about the fact that you have to have two power-play defensemen on your roster because if one goes down, what do you do otherwise? He checks a lot of boxes for us.”
DeAngelo is hungry to keep getting better.
“The motivation doesn’t stop," DeAngelo said. "I actually don’t even think I’ve been anywhere near where I can get to last year. It was good, but it wasn’t as good as it’s been in the past. There’s still another level to get to.”
In 76 games last season, his first full season with Islanders, DeAngelo recorded 35 points (five goals, 30 assists) in 76 games, averaging 19:08 minutes per game, playing most of his 5-on-5 minutes alongside Adam Pelech.
