Defenseman Tony DeAngelo, playing his first year with his hometown Philadelphia Flyers, was a healthy scratch for the season’s final five games.
He was not happy about coach John Tortorella’s decision.
“I love being a Flyer,” he said in an exit interview with the media Friday at the team’s Voorhees practice facility. “My whole life I wanted to be a Flyer, and now that I am, I don’t take it for granted at all. It’s something that means a lot to me, so I’m not going to let any relationship stuff get in the way. He’s the coach of the team, so you’ve got to respect it, and I respect what he does.
“Do I agree with it and what happened the last five games? Absolutely not,” he added. “I think it’s ridiculous that I didn’t play the last five. That’s one thing. But he’s also the coach, and it’s not my job to decide that.”
He said his job was “to be a good teammate, which I think I did. I tried to stay out of the way. I didn’t want to be a distraction (during his benchings) while these guys have stuff to play for — milestones guys are trying to get to, guys are trying to play for contracts for next year.”
The South Jersey native said he “tried to be a good teammate, watch the games, and take that approach.”
DeAngelo, 27, led the Flyers’ defensemen in goals (11) and points (42). He also had defensive lapses, and finished with a team-worst minus-27 rating.
DeAngelo has one more year on contract that has an annual $5 million cap hit. He wants to remain a part of the Flyers.
“I plan to be back, I want to come back,” he said. “I have a clue what’s going to happen. That’s not my decision.”
Tortorella won’t be available to the media until Monday. He has declined a chance to explain the reason he benched DeAngelo, who played the first 22 games on the top pairing with Ivan Provorov. The Flyers were 7-10-5 at that point and had lost 10 straight.
He was then dropped down in the lineup.
DeAngelo acknowledged he needs to improve parts of his game.
“I’ve got to play, and I’ve got to play better,” he said. “I’m pretty accountable about myself. Did I have a good year offensively? Probably. … But there was other stuff I didn’t think I did as well. I didn’t think I was great defensively. Some of the games early in the year I was real good defensively, and I think I dipped and points weren’t coming. I was all over the place.”
Moving forward, he said he needs to be more consistent.
Breakaways
Morgan Frost said he was proud of his 19-goal season, but feels he can get better and become a “difference-maker.” … Sean Couturier (back surgery) and Cam Atkinson (neck surgery), each of whom missed the season, said they feel 100 percent and can’t wait for training camp to start. They both play in all situations. … Atkinson is among the players who believes the Flyers are closer to the playoffs than people think. … With many of the younger players blossoming, Provorov thinks the Flyers are “on the right path.” … Nick Deslauriers said he would “rather fight than have a goal.” He called Scott Laughton the team’s chirp champion. … Couturier said he would like the chance to center a line with RW Owen Tippett (27 goals) on it. … “Competition is healthy,” Carter Hart said when asked about Sam Ersson possibly being the No. 2 goalie next season. … Noah Cates, a converted winger, fell in love with the center position. He said he will play wherever needed, but hopes to settle at one position next year. … The Phantoms signed forward Matt Brown of Boston University to a professional tryout contract (PTO), Brown, 23, a second-team all-American, had a career-best 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) this season and was tied for the team lead in goals. He helped BU get to the Frozen Four.
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