Tony DeAngelo has been a controversial figure since he stepped into the NHL. Teams did not want him this offseason following a rough year with the Hurricanes. The former Rangers and Flyers defenseman has signed with the KHL's SKA St Petersburg, per the team.

The 28-year-old has played 371 games in the NHL and was a promising player early in his career. DeAngelo's time with the Rangers came to a screeching halt in 2020 after a fight with goalie Alexander Georgiev. The defenseman allegedly punched the goalie and was placed on waivers the next day. The Hurricanes took a flyer on him and quickly traded him to the Flyers. He went back to Carolina, who did not re-sign him after last season.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli went viral last week for saying he was surprised that Tony DeAngelo had not been signed. He posted “Tony DeAngelo: Baffling that a proven 40 to 50-point right-shot defenseman is unsigned as a 28-year-old. On due diligence, he is a well-liked teammate.”

The player most known for fighting his goalie does not have the “well-liked teammate” reputation among fans. Followers clowned Seravalli, saying “The DeAngelo one isn’t baffling. Come on Frank…” and “Baffling eh? Really?” among other things.

Tony DeAngelo's murky NHL future

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The issue with Tony DeAngelo wanting to come back into the NHL is he needs a team to take a risk on him. Despite his alleged locker-room reputation, he was brutal when he was on the ice last season. The Hurricanes needed a defenseman after losing Brett Pesce but did not take the risk on DeAngelo.

While there is still plenty of time for him to return to the NHL, there are certainly teams that are never going to sign him. The Rangers are an obvious answer, and Georgiev's new team, the Avalanche, won't be signing him anytime soon. Carolina likely won't be taking a third crack at DeAngelo and the Flyers' tenure was a disaster.

DeAngelo needs to perform well on and off the ice in Russia this season. SKA St Petersburg is traditionally one of the better teams in that league and he should be playing high-leverage minutes this season. If he succeeds, it would not be surprising if another team took a risk on the player.

Tony DeAngelo's future in the NHL took a big hit on Monday when he signed with the KHL's SKA St Petersburg. If his reputation is truly changing, as Seravalli hinted at, a good season will get him back in the league next year. If he fails to perform well, don't expect to see DeAngelo competing for the Stanley Cup anytime soon.