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Hurricanes acquire Nicolas Deslauriers
The Carolina Hurricanes have made their first move on NHL Trade Deadline day.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on X that the Hurricanes have acquired Nicolas Deslauriers from the Philadelphia Flyers. In return, Carolina is giving up a 2027 conditional seventh-round pick.
Deslauriers is in the final year of his four-year, $7 million deal and is a gritty bottom-six forward. He’s one of, if not the top, heavyweight fighter in the NHL and will add some much-needed toughness to the Hurricanes’ bottom-six.
Deslauriers has been a scratch for the Flyers, and Carolina takes a flyer on the gritty forward to add some much-needed toughness to the bottom-six.
This season with the Flyers, Deslauriers has skated in 24 games, recording 0 goals and 1 assist. But, he’s more known for his hitting and fighting, which will play a role in the playoffs, as the Hurricanes were bullied by the Florida Panthers in last year’s playoffs.
Hurricanes Wanted to Add to Roster
Carolina is holding onto the top spot in the Metro division and looks poised for another deep playoff run.
The Hurricanes have failed to get over the hump and reach the Stanley Cup Finals due to the Panthers’ success. So, ahead of the deadline, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said the team was going to make a move.
“This time of year, it’s every day I’m on the phone,” Tulsky said The Storm Report podcast. “There are two things we need: We need players to be available, and we need the price to be something that we can do. I’m calling every day to see who is available and what the price is, and I’m trying to get it to where we can get something done.
“You never know what’s going to happen; it takes both sides. It’s hard to control the market. But, we are shopping very aggressively, trying to find ways to bring in the pieces that will help us take steps forward.”
A key area of need was help in the bottom six and being a tougher team to play against. Which the team accomplished by acquiring Deslauriers.
Carolina Believe They Can be Better
The Hurricanes have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but Tulsky believes the team can be better.
Tulsky thinks the Hurricanes can get better defensively, which will be key for the team’s success.
“I think, over the first half of the year, between the injuries and the new people coming in, there have been times that our defending was not at the level that we’re accustomed to,” Tulsky added. “We’ve been giving up some premium, Grade A chances that, sometimes, teams are going to create those, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“But sometimes, we’re sort of giving it up. You can’t have that. We think there is room for us to tighten that up. Some of that comes as we get healthy. … So, I expect to see that tighten up on its own, just naturally. Then, we’re always looking for ways to bring in help too.”
Carolina is 39-16-6 and holding onto the top spot in the Metro division.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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