Tony DeAngelo scratched by Philadelphia Flyers against Vegas Golden Knights

Tony DeAngelo will be a healthy scratch when the Philadelphia Flyers take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday evening.

It’s a sizeable move by the Flyers, with DeAngelo recording points in his past four games. Defensively, though, DeAngelo has struggled, resulting in a trip to the press box for tonight’s contest.

We’ve seen coach John Tortorella scratch notable players from time to time, so it’s not exactly a surprise that DeAngelo was next. Defensively, DeAngelo has struggled for the Flyers this season, as seen below.

The 27-year-old missed some time earlier this season with an upper-body injury, but returned on Dec. 1 and has points in every game since while resuming his role in Philadelphia’s top four. DeAngelo played at least 31 minutes in two games last month, coming in extra-time losses to Columbus and Montreal. So sitting a player that has been leaned on so often this year is quite something.

DeAngelo was acquired by the Flyers during the NHL Draft weekend in July, recording 14 points in 26 games with the club to date. DeAngelo was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round in 2014 but was traded to the Arizona Coyotes ahead of the 2016-17 season. He then found himself with the Rangers in 2017-18, where he played until he was buried and eventually bought out after playing just six games in 2020-21. He signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021-22, where he recorded 10 goals and 51 points.

The Flyers currently sit 26th in the league with a 9-13-5 record, including a 2-6-1 run over the past 10 games. Something had to give, and DeAngelo’s lackluster play in his own zone made him a scapegoat. Cam York is set to make his season debut with Philadelphia after playing in 30 games with the club last year.