Flyers' DeAngelo: I respect Tortorella but 5-game scratch is 'ridiculous'
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo wasn't happy that head coach John Tortorella made him a health scratch for the last five games of the season, but he plans on being back in the City of Brotherly Love.
"My whole life, I've wanted to be a Flyer, and now I am, so I don't take it for granted at all," he told reporters during his end-of-season media availability. "It's something that means a lot to me so I'm not gonna let any relationship stuff get in the way.
"He's the coach of the team, so you've gotta respect that, and I respect what he does. Do I agree with it, what happened in the last five games? Absolutely not. I think it's ridiculous that I didn't play in the last five."
DeAngelo's final game of the campaign was the Flyers' 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on April 4.
The native of New Jersey added he was sure Tortorella had reasons for sitting him, but they didn't talk about it "a whole lot."
DeAngelo also missed four straight games earlier in the season; the Flyers listed him as a healthy scratch on Dec. 9 but later gave him non-roster status due to personal reasons.
DeAngelo led all Philadelphia blue-liners with 42 points in 70 games this season, but he was also a team-worst minus-27 while averaging 22 minutes of ice time per contest. His minus-15.1 defensive goals above replacement was the worst mark among all NHL skaters in 2022-23, according to Evolving Hockey.
Tortorella said in February the Flyers needed to work with DeAngelo on his defensive game.
Philadelphia acquired DeAngelo and a seventh-round pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in the offseason in exchange for second-, third-, and fourth-selections.
The Flyers then signed him to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $5 million. The 27-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Philadelphia went 31-38-13 in Tortorella's first season at the helm, finishing 17 points outside of a playoff spot.
The organization fired general manager Chuck Fletcher in March and replaced him with Daniel Briere.