Tony DeAngelo has his contract terminated in KHL

KHL team SKA St. Petersburg have announced that they have terminated defenseman Tony DeAngelo's one year contract.

DeAngelo had had a stellar season with the team putting up six goals and 32 points in 36 games with the team, so his contract termination has nothing to do with performance but rather due to a "family issue".

DeAngelo was, in fact, the KHL's leading scorer amongst defensemen. 

It's unclear what his next move is, but the former NHLer has made a statement that speaks to his decision to leave Russia:

I would like to inform you that due to family circumstances I am forced to leave SKA and return to North America. This decision was not easy, but now it is important for me to be closer to home. It is very sad to leave such a city and such a team in St. Petersburg, they really love hockey, appreciate each player, do everything to ensure that the club achieves high results.

I would like to thank all the fans for their support, for the always full stands. You gave me some of the best emotions from home games that I have experienced in my career. Thanks to the club and the team: head coach Roman Rotenberg, all partners, coaching and administrative staff for help on the ice and in everyday life, for attention to detail, the highest professionalism and a great atmosphere in the locker room. I am proud to have been on the same team with you, I wish you success in the rest of the season and I hope to see the team win the Gagarin Cup.

I will always remember this experience with warmth and hope that our paths will cross again in the future. Thank you for everything!

- Tony DeAngelo

I'll be fascinated to see what the veteran blueliner's next move is.

Personally, I think it's clear that DeAngelo has the skill to compete in the NHL, but he has essentially been driven out of the league because he struggles so hard to fit into a team dynamic.

"I waited through most of the summer," DeAngelo said in a one-on-one interview with RG.org earlier this season when talking about the lack of NHL contract offers available to him. "It took a bit long. It was back and forth. With a bunch of different things, the negotiation process wasn't where we wanted to go. I had a great opportunity to come here (Russia) and play in a great League with great players. It was the best situation for myself at this time."

DeAngelo says he "considered every option", including signing a PTO contract in the NHL: "Any option was on the table, but as I said, the best option for me was this one (Russia)."

In other words, 'I had options, but no good options... so now I'm in Russia.'

It's believed that DeAngelo couldn't even land a stellar contract in Russia though and it was been reported that his contract carried a low salary with several performance bonuses. You have to wonder if that factored into his decision to return to North America.

Stay tuned, we may be seeing the return... again... of Tony DeAngelo to the NHL.