MAJOR: Gary Bettman and NHL block Tony DeAngelo deal for controversial reasons

"What's holding up DeAngelo?

Meanwhile, another proposed deal between the Flyers and Hurricanes that should have taken place on Sunday failed to materialize.

The Hurricanes and Flyers had reached an agreement in principle to send Tony DeAngelo to Carolina in exchange for a prospect and with Philadelphia retaining 50% of his remaining $5 million salary and salary cap impact for next season.

However, from what I understand, the NHL has reservations about DeAngelo returning to Carolina less than a year after his transfer from the Hurricanes. There are provisions in the collective agreement that deal with a player returning to a team within 12 months of his transfer, particularly when there is salary retention, as this could constitute a circumvention of the rules.

I believe both the Flyers and Hurricanes have challenged the league's position, arguing 1) that DeAngelo's contract wasn't even signed with the Hurricanes, but with Philadelphia last summer, as part of a two-year, $10 million deal, and 2) that Chuck Fletcher was the general manager who completed the trade and signed DeAngelo, but he's no longer in office, so how could this be considered misappropriation?

From what I understand, the league will begin discussions with the teams this week in Nashville on the subject. Either the league will agree, or it will ask the teams to wait until July 9 to finalize the transaction, respecting the 12-month rule. If that's the case, who knows if the trade currently on offer will still suit both teams. So stay tuned for that one."

- Pierre LeBrun