Tony DeAngelo will officially become a member of the New York Islanders if he passes through waivers at 2 PM ET.
ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders are trying not to get ahead of themselves when it comes to defenseman Tony DeAngelo joining their squad.
After signing the 29-year-old to a pro-rated league-minimum contract for the rest of the season due to Noah Dobson's long-term lower-body injury, both sides have to wait until 2 PM on Saturday before the marriage becomes official.
The reason is that when a player comes from an international league, they must pass through waivers first.
"I'm not going to talk about him right now," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said after their 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers for their third straight victory. "Let's see what happens tomorrow, too, and then we'll talk about him if you don't mind."
A few players did share their thoughts.
"Obviously, he's a right-handed defenseman who can see the ice, and offensively, he's somebody that can fill that gap with Dobson out," Islanders forward Brock Nelson said. "I've played against him. He plays hard. He's a competitor. I think he fights, compete-wise. He's got a great compete level and goes out there and just wants to win. I think he's the ultimate competitor.
"I've had a couple of messages from guys that have played with him that know him, and they said we're going to love him."
The Islanders' power play is currently at 12.2 percent, the worst in the NHL. DeAngelo is being signed because of his potential as a power-play quarterback.
"I think, just as a right-handed defenseman and his offensive [game], he could slide in right there and be great," Nelson said. "I think playing against him, he sees the ice extremely well. He makes good passes and has good hockey instincts. I think he's aggressive. So, he'll be big for the power play."
Defenseman Ryan Pulock also spoke on the potential new addition:
"He's been very dynamic on the power play. He brings some offense back there," Pulock said. "So, we'll see what happens, but I think he'll be a huge addition.
"He plays with an edge. He's skilled. He gets in the play. He can skate. He moves the puck, and with Dobber out, if he's here, he's a good puck-moving defenseman.
DeAngelo is eligible to play on Saturday night when the Islanders host his former team, the Carolina Hurricanes.
Through 371 NHL games, DeAngelo has 48 goals with 162 assists for 210 points. He has 89 points on the power play, with 13 goals and 76 assists.
He's expected to take Dennis Cholowski's spot in the lineup.