The New York Islanders are in last place in the Metropolitan Division entering Friday's action. They have struggled with injuries all season long with top defenseman Noah Dobson being the most recent loss. With Mike Reilly also out long-term dealing with a heart issue, they needed another defenseman to fill the void. The Islanders made a surprising signing to pick up defenseman Tony DeAngelo on Friday.

Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported that DeAngelo signed for the league minimum, a $775,000 cap hit. DeAngelo ended last season with the Carolina Hurricanes playing nine games in the playoffs. But he was not signed in free agency and DeAngelo went to Russia to play with SKA St. Petersburg.

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DeAngelo came up with the Arizona Coyotes but was quickly moved to the New York Rangers, where he made a name for himself. But his time ended abruptly when he got in a fight with goalie Alexandar Georgiev. He bounced between the Hurricanes and Flyers for the following three seasons before this move.

The Islanders are in last place in their division and second-to-last in the Eastern Conference. Their playoff chances are dwindling and they need to go on a big winning streak before the 4 Nations Face-Off to revive their season. Without Dobson, their abysmal powerplay will only get worse. But DeAngelo is a stopgap move to help their defense.

The Islanders play two of DeAngelo's former teams on consecutive days to start his tenure with the team. They host the Flyers on Friday and he Hurricanes on Saturday. There is no word on whether he will be in the lineup but they had not called up a defenseman since Dobson's injury. DeAngelo may be joining the Islanders soon and they need him to improve their defense.