Tony DeAngelo is not shying away from reality in his second stint with the Rangers.
“I gotta pitch in offensively, that’s my main game,” the 22-year-old defenseman said Wednesday following the team’s morning skate. “Obviously I want to play defense first and break up plays and all that kind of stuff. But I gotta get involved in the offense more.”
Wednesday brought another opportunity to do just that, but he was kept off the score sheet again in a 6-1 loss to the Bruins at the Garden.
DeAngelo entered the game with two assists in seven games since being recalled from AHL Hartford on the same day the club announced that blue liner Kevin Shattenkirk would undergo surgery for a meniscus tear. An offensive-minded defenseman like Shattenkirk, DeAngelo is still trying to make his mark in the NHL.
The 5-foot-11, 181-pound Sewell, N.J., native, who was drafted 19th in 2014, had “one of his more 50-50 games” Saturday against the Stars, coach Alain Vigneault said. DeAngelo took a pair of third-period penalties, one of which led to the Stars’ game-winning goal.
“I expect more from Tony with the puck,” Vigneault said. “I expect him to be better on breakout situations and to support the attack. I see a lot of skill there and upside, but you got a young player, you got a learning curve, you’ve got consistency that you’re working on. But there is definitely some good, positive things to work with there.”
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DeAngelo was paired with Ryan McDonagh on the top defensive unit during drills Wednesday morning, and he knows how much he can learn just by keeping his eyes on the Rangers captain.
“I just watch him, watch how good he is and the way he works in practice,” DeAngelo said. “Mac’s such a good skater, makes the game so easy for him. Just powerful when he starts moving his feet. He’s a real good player to watch and you can learn from his offense too.”
The opportunity is now for DeAngelo as the Rangers’ defensive corps continues to shrink. Shattenkirk is not expected back anytime soon and Marc Staal missed a second straight game Wednesday with a cervical strain.
But while DeAngelo has a spot on the big-league blue line for the foreseeable future because of those injuries — perhaps taking away the fear in the back of his mind of being sent back down to the AHL — Vigneault cautioned that it doesn’t give him a free pass.
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“At the end of the day, if you want to make a statement in the NHL and stay in the NHL, you gotta perform on the ice,” the coach said. “We’re working with Tony here on things we feel he should be able to do with that skill set. He’s always been considered to be an offensive-type defenseman, power play-type defenseman. We’re trying to make sure he gets those opportunities and when he gets those opportunities, he performs. He’s working hard. We like that part. We gotta make sure we keep steering him in the right direction.”
DeAngelo is fully aware of that, but he plans on taking advantage of this extended opportunity as best he can and trying to prove he belongs, once and for all.
“I think I have to,” he said. “I was up and down a couple times last year, same thing this year. I gotta play well. You can’t keep going up and down and trying to go through it. Just gotta try to play well and get a spot.”
Marc Staal missed a second straight game with a cervical strain, still hurting from getting crushed into the boards Saturday by the Predators’ Alexei Emelin.
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“He’s still having neck issues, so at this time, our doctors are still trying to figure out exactly what he has and what the process is here,” Vigneault said. “I should know more in the next 48 hours.”
Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich both skated Wednesday before the team’s morning skate as they continued to work through the concussion protocol.
Chris Kreider (rib resection) also skated early while Shattenkirk is now off crutches as both continue their post-surgery rehabs.
“All a step in the right direction,” Vigneault said.
The Rangers have been taking a hands-on approach as they try to work out of their rut.
“We’re doing a lot of one-on-one sessions with our players, showing them exactly what we expect them to do on the ice,” Vigneault said. “Reinforcing it, especially when we watch them doing it right, reinforcing it whether it be by verbal communication or video.”
Cody McLeod twice dropped the gloves with Adam McQuaid, 2:42 into the game and again with 4:38 left, his first fights since joining the Rangers.
“Cody went out and showed some aggressiveness,” Vigneault said.