The Carolina Hurricanes failed to make a massive splash at the trade deadline this season, which has left many in the fan base a little sour, especially when compared to others. While it's an unfair comparison in most cases, I understand where the fans are coming from, but there's more to the story. The move they ended up making was still one that could help the team.
A little over an hour before the deadline, the Hurricanes made a small trade within the division, sending a conditional seventh-round pick in 2027 to the Philadelphia Flyers for winger Nicolas Deslauriers. The move was revealed to be an act of good faith by the Flyers, giving the veteran a chance to chase a Stanley Cup in Raleigh.
Drafted as a defenseman in the third round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Kings, Deslauriers played his junior hockey in his home province of Quebec. He remained a defenseman until 2013, when the Kings moved him to the wing. Deslauriers has stayed there for the rest of his career. At the 2014 trade deadline, he was shipped to Buffalo in a package for Brayden McNabb.
At 22 years old, Deslauriers made his NHL debut two days after the trade against the Panthers. A month later, he recorded his first goal and point, corralling a loose puck off the draw to beat Jimmy Howard in a 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. Deslauriers played three more seasons in Buffalo, setting his yet-to-be-broken career high in points (15) during his first full season in 2014-15.
Right before the 2017-18 season, the Sabres traded Deslauriers to Montreal, where he proceeded to score his only double-digit goal season. His stint with the Habs lasted two seasons before being moved to Anaheim in 2019. Two games before the pandemic pause in 2020, Deslauriers scored a natural hat trick against Ottawa, the only one of his career.
Deslauriers was traded midseason again in 2022, moving from Anaheim to Minnesota, where he'd play the only postseason hockey of his career to this point, recording zero points in five games. During the following offseason, he signed a four-year deal with the Flyers, where he had been before Friday's trade. This season, he has one assist and 33 penalty minutes in 24 games.
What will Deslauriers' role be, and where's his ideal fit?
Scoring isn't exactly Deslauriers' bread and butter. In 701 games across 13 seasons, he has just 53 goals and 105 points. He's averaging no more than six goals and 12 points a year. However, Deslauriers will sit on the bottom line, run over anyone in his way, and will drop the gloves with the toughest customers in the league.
I guarantee that you've seen a few of Deslauriers' fights over the years. He's third among active players in major penalties with 90. Listed at 6'1" and 218 lbs., he's willing to go with anyone. His fight against the Rangers' Matt Rempe last season was one of the best bouts I've seen in a long time. Deslauriers has dropped the gloves at least ten times in a season on four occasions.
Deslauriers is going to be in and out of the lineup in this system. He'll more likely serve as the 13th or 14th forward, thus putting him in the press box more often than not. When he does play, he'll be on the fourth line and sparingly used. Obviously, this trade wasn't meant to change the fabric of the team, but he'll get some looks and be a great guy in the locker room.
When he does enter the lineup, two configurations could work, depending on the opponent and the situation. The first would have him on the wing with Mark Jankowski and Eric Robinson. This line can score a little more, aided by Robinson's speed. The other swaps Robinson for William Carrier, putting two battering rams around Jankowski. This line would be on the ice for destruction and hard work.
Again, this trade won't win any popularity contests, though I think the fan response has less to do with the player than the circumstances. Rod Brind'Amour has wanted Deslauriers for a long time, praising the game that he plays. It's something the Hurricanes can certainly use more of, especially deep in the playoffs. He stands up for his teammates, and that's a trait that many feel this team needs.