Sizeable move by the Flyers hours before puck drop!

It was just a matter of time before Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo landed into head coach John Tortorella’s doghouse.

Hours before the game against the Golden Knights in Vegas, it was confirmed that DeAngelo was a healthy scratch and will watch the contest from the press box.

This is a significant move seeing that DeAngelo has recorded points in each of his last four games and played nearly 22 minutes on Wednesday night. But it’s a whole different story when we look at his defensive presence.

Tortorella is never afraid to make anyone a healthy scratch and has chosen instead to let Cam York make his season debut. The relationship between DeAngelo and the head coach was said to be tense last week after the defenseman had left the morning skate early, and he didn't seem particularly happy after a conversation with Torts. 

DeAngelo inked a two-year, $10MM contract with the Flyers after they sent three draft picks to the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire him and a seventh-round pick. The 27-year-old defenseman returned on Dec.1 from an upper-body injury and played at least 31 minutes in two games last month.

This sizeable move by Torts might get DeAngelo’s attention and motivate him to do better defensively, especially with the amount of time he can be used on the ice. He has recorded 14 points in 26 games with Philly to date.

Ahead of Friday’s action, 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.

Tortorella needed to send a message and DeAngelo’s lacklustre play in his own zone is now heard loud and clear.

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