A Carolina Hurricanes team with Tony DeAngelo and Dmitry Orlov? Who saw that coming?

A year ago this time, if Tony DeAngelo had been told he’d be with the Carolina Hurricanes this season his answer would have been …

“I’m not sure I’d have believed it, although it wouldn’t have been out of the question that I’d ever be back with the Hurricanes,” the defenseman said last week.

And if told he’d be with the Hurricanes and paired with defenseman Dmitry Orlov?

“I was not expecting that,” DeAngelo said, smiling.

He wasn’t the only one. Landing Orlov in free agency was a huge get for Carolina, even if the price tag — $7.75 million a year — was high. But that was the cost for a tough, veteran player who won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 and was with the Boston Bruins last season.

“The fact they were able to get him and add him to this team’s core, I give management credit,” DeAngelo said in an N&O interview. “He’s a special player who does a little bit of everything at a high level, all of it.

“It would be a pleasure to play with him. Already is. Just the way he sees the ice. He’s got a good stick, he’s strong.”

Standout defensive group

DeAngelo nodded toward Orlov, seated a few feet away in the Canes locker room at PNC Arena.

“He’s strong as a bull and a shutdown defenseman,” DeAngelo said. “There’s a lot of things he can do. But in a cap world, to be able to bring him in, with the defensive players here that are All-Star caliber, with a Hall of Famer, it’s pretty impressive.”

Many consider defenseman Brent Burns a future Hockey Hall of Famer. Burns came to the Hurricanes a year ago from the San Jose Sharks and quickly took over the slot opposite Jaccob Slavin on the top D pair — the spot DeAngelo occupied much of the 2021-22 season before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.

“There’s nobody in the league who can do what (Burns) does at his size on defense,” DeAngelo said. “Offensively, defensively, on the ice, he doesn’t look 38. He’s ageless.”

DeAngelo, 27, has been paired with Orlov during training camp and preseason games. DeAngelo has been the Canes’ sixth defenseman, moving ahead of Jalen Chatfield, a fixture in the lineup last season.

DeAngelo had a goal and assist in the Canes’ first exhibition game, a win over Tampa Bay at PNC Arena. He had a team-high six shots and an assist in Friday’s game at Florida, a 4-2 loss.

“It’s good to play games. I hadn’t played since last March,” DeAngelo said.

A big change

DeAngelo, after resurrecting his career with a solid year with Carolina, was traded to the Flyers during the 2022 NHL draft. He would have been content to stay with the Canes, but business being business, he accepted the move and signed a two-year, $10 million deal with Philadelphia.

And had John Tortorella as his coach. Talk about a change.

“There wasn’t a great fit between me and the coach,” DeAngelo said “I’ve got no hard feelings. It is what it is. It wasn’t an ugly departure. Being there was special to me.”

Carolina signed DeAngelo as a free agent in the offseason after a potential trade had some snags. Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour likes having DeAngelo back and surely likes the depth at the position, with Dylan Coghlan and Caleb Jones also in the mix on the back end along with Chatfield.

“It’s pretty much like he never left,” Brind’Amour said of DeAngelo. “Tony is Tony.”

The first time around, there were questions — about DeAngelo’s past, his use of social media, his temperament, his relationships with some former teammates. The New York Rangers banished him after a 2021 altercation and later bought him out and released him.

The Hurricanes took a chance, signing him to a one-year, $1 million contract in July 2021.

The right fit

But what were the Canes getting with Tony?

“We all had questions, right?” Brind’Amour said. “There was so much out there and 99.9 (percent) of it was not accurate. That’s why you have to get to know people. There’s a reason we wanted to get him back here. If we want to be successful, he’s going to be a big part of it.”

The Canes were 20th in the NHL on the power play at 19.8% in the 2022-23 regular season and 12th among the 16 Stanley Cup playoff teams at 17.7%. DeAngelo, always offensive minded, has joined Burns on the top power-play unit in preseason, another interesting combination.

“Just trying to get your best offensive weapons out,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ll see if it sticks.”

DeAngelo feels like if he’s successful this season, Brind’Amour will be a big part of it.

“He understands the way I tick,” DeAngelo said. “Once the game starts I’m really into it. I want every shift to be great and sometimes my expectations might get too high on what a great shift entails. I think Roddy understands how I tick and how to handle it.

“Last year I got a little more frustrated, but you can attribute that to wins and losses. I hate to lose. Roddy knows how to handle it. He’s a great person and he cares about the players. That’s something I appreciate.”