Tortorella indicates previous team made DeAngelo look better on defence than he actually is

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella is never one to hold back when he has something to say, and here's yet another example. Tortorella was asked Thursday about defenceman Tony DeAngelo and his fit with the team. Despite having 9 goals and 31 points, DeAngelo has found himself on the third pairing in Philly, and sometimes a healthy scratch. Tortorella said DeAngelo's offense isn't an issue, but his defence certainly is.

"Last team he played for, Carolina, I think they could absorb some of that with their roster as far as maybe some of his deficiencies defensively. It kind of sticks out more with us."

Tortorella added that DeAngelo has done some great things with the Flyers offensively, but the amount of work he needs defensively is surprising.

"I'm a little bit - not disappointed - but the defensive liability is something we need to work at. I didn't think the amount of work that we need to do with him...I didn't think that at the point in time when we got him," Tortorella explained.

Meanwhile, the Athletic's Charlie O' Conner points out that this shouldn't have been a surprise for the Flyers at all.

"Not to pile on the front office here, but it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that Tony DeAngelo isn't good defensively," said O' Connor. "And the fact that Carolina valued him as a sub-$4 million per year player should have been a glaring sign regarding their view of his true talent."

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