PHILADELPHIA — It's been apparent for several days that Tony DeAngelo wasn't going to be part of the plan in Philadelphia moving forward.
There was speculation around the NHL Draft in late June that DeAngelo was on his way back to the Carolina Hurricanes, with the Flyers retaining 50 percent of his salary.
However, it's believed the NHL raised concerns about DeAngelo returning to Carolina within a calendar year of his previous trade from the Hurricanes.
The league cited provisions in the collective bargaining agreement that address the potential circumvention of rules regarding players returning within a 12-month timeframe, particularly when salary retention is involved.
The problem with DeAngelo still being on the roster, according to the hosts of Locked on Flyers, is a lack of cap space to sign restricted free agent Morgan Frost, who's seen as a core piece. The team is already retaining money on Kevin Hayes' deal and would be right up against it with DeAngelo still around.
"The Flyers are in a real difficult position here from a cap perspective, and it's something (general manager) Daniel Briere is going to have to deal with," according to Rachel Donner of Locked on Flyers.
The solution was made known Friday, as the Flyers announced they'd placed DeAngelo on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout.
DeAngelo made NHL history as a result, becoming the first player to be bought out more than once.
Per CapFriendly, the Flyers will be on the hook for $1.6M against the salary cap in each of the next two seasons, and DeAngelo will be free to sign with any other NHL team beginning Saturday.
That would give Carolina the opportunity to sign him at a discounted rate, if still interested.
The Flyers now have $2.9M in available space to secure a deal for Frost.
As a reminder, Carolina received a fourth-round pick (No. 101) in the 2022 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2023 draft and a second-round pick in the 2024 draft from the Flyers last summer for DeAngelo's rights.