The Islanders needed a right-handed defenseman. Tony DeAngelo needed a job. 

And so, in the span of seven weeks, Tony DeAngelo has gone from believing his NHL career over to being a New York Islander. 

The Islanders announced Friday that they were bringing in the lightning-rod former Rangers defenseman on a one-year deal to help mend their blue line, which was in need of a remedy after Noah Dobson went down Monday night with a right-leg injury that is not believed to be a short-term issue. 

Mike Reilly, who suffered a concussion in November before discovering a heart issue that required surgery, has not yet been cleared for contact, so the assumption is he will not be back anytime soon, either — leaving the Islanders without a third of their opening-night defense corps for an undefined period of time. 

Thus, the need for DeAngelo, who represented arguably the best available option and can run an NHL power play — a need the Islanders suddenly must fill without Dobson.

Per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, DeAngelo’s deal is for the prorated league minimum of $775,000. 

DeAngelo was not available to play in Friday night’s win 3-1 win over the Flyers because, coming over from another league, he had to clear waivers before officially signing.

As of 2 p.m. Friday, he had hit the wire, and if unclaimed over the ensuing 24 hours, DeAngelo will be eligible to suit up against the Hurricanes on Saturday. 

“I think just his skill, his power play, he’s been very dynamic on the power play. Brings some offense back there,” Ryan Pulock said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but I think it’ll be a huge addition.” 

Coach Patrick Roy declined to talk about DeAngelo after the game, citing that he still needs to clear waivers. 

Even for an executive in Lou Lamoriello who specializes in shock and awe — hiring Patrick Roy being the most obvious example of late — bringing back DeAngelo counted as a certifiable jaw-dropper, even as it did fit with the Islanders’ needs. 

DeAngelo, who has played with the Hurricanes and Flyers since his unseemly Broadway exit, was essentially exiled to Russia after going unsigned in the last free agency cycle. 

It was, after all, less than two months ago that DeAngelo spoke on the record like a player who knew he would not be returning to the NHL anytime soon. 

“I’m not very optimistic,” DeAngelo told The Post’s Larry Brooks from St. Petersburg, where he recorded 32 points in 34 KHL games this season, in December. “Would I love to come back? I would absolutely love to come back, and that’s my goal, but I’m not optimistic, and I’m not going to let it affect my daily life.” 

Since then, two things have changed.

The first is that 10 days ago, DeAngelo and SKA St. Petersburg mutually agreed to terminate his deal, with the club announcing DeAngelo had to return to North America for family reasons. 

The second is that the Islanders are suddenly without their No. 1 defenseman. 

It is within that context that DeAngelo, 29 years old with 329 NHL points over 371 games, became the best available option. 

As for any concerns regarding DeAngelo’s personality, which became an object of conversation due to his outspoken nature on social media, vocal support of President Donald Trump and the nature of his leaving the Rangers — with the club all but firing him after DeAngelo provoked an altercation with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev in the Madison Square Garden tunnel after a 2021 loss to the Bruins — it is worth noting that former teammates have spoken positively of DeAngelo and that being on the political right is not the issue in an NHL locker room that it is on social media. 

DeAngelo, for what it’s worth, also said in that December conversation with Brooks that though no one offered him a tryout contract over the summer, he was “willing to terminate my own deal if I did something stupid.” 

“The problem I have with the NHL — and I’m not afraid to say it to anybody — is that everybody knows me,” DeAngelo said. “You know what you’re getting.” 

The Islanders know what they are getting indeed. 

Here comes Tony DeAngelo.