When the New York Rangers acquired Tony DeAngelo from the Arizona Coyotes last summer — seemingly at their explicit request — it was clear that Jeff Gorton saw something in the young defender that made him worth targeting. It’s taken more than a year — one that was both up and down and temporarily stalled by an ill-timed late-season injury — but it sure appears Gorton was onto something.
Though he’s played in just three preseason contests ahead of this coming season, the version of DeAngelo on display through them has been something of a revelation.