Nicolas Deslauriers

Nicolas Deslauriers (born February 22, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the third round, 84th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings at the 2009 NHL entry draft. His play has been described as a mix between an enforcer and a grinder. Deslauriers won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2026.

Early life Deslauriers was born on February 22, 1991, in LaSalle, Quebec, Growing up, Deslauriers played both baseball and ice hockey but, after qualifying for the midget Triple-A team Châteauguay Patriotes, he dropped baseball and focused solely on ice hockey.

Playing career

Amateur Deslauriers played major junior ice hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Gatineau Olympiques. At the 2009 NHL entry draft, he was drafted in the third round, 84th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings. Following the draft, Deslauriers was tied for 12th amongst league defencemen with 45 points through 65 regular season games. He was traded to the Gatineau Olympiques prior to the 2010–11 QMJHL season in exchange for two draft picks. During the 2011 QMJHL playoffs, Deslauriers led all QMJHL defencemen in postseason scoring with 20 points. He made his professional debut with the Monarchs during the 2011–12 season and finished with 14 points through 65 games. Deslauriers began the following season with the Monarchs before being recalled to the NHL level on May 9, 2013. He played a few games with the Monarchs as a forward, but was expected to return to his natural defenceman position the following season. However, during the 2013 off-season, Jack Ferreira, special assistant to Kings general manager, suggested that Deslauriers become a full-time left winger. As such, he was asked to play the new position during training camp and recorded four goals during the preseason.

Buffalo Sabres On March 5, 2014, Deslauriers was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, along with Hudson Fasching, in exchange for defenceman Brayden McNabb, Jonathan Parker and two draft picks. He was originally sent down to the Rochester Americans, but injuries to the Sabres' lineup earned him a quick recall. He subsequently made his NHL debut a few days later on March 7, in a 2–0 loss to the Florida Panthers. In his second NHL game, Deslauriers played 12:13 minutes of ice time and threw three hits. His play was praised by interim head coach Ted Nolan who said: "You look at Deslauriers, for a young kid too, his second game in the National Hockey League, he competed out there. You can never go wrong when you have guys that love to compete." He scored his first NHL goal on April 4, with 6:40 remaining in the third period in a 3–2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Deslauriers remained in Buffalo during the 2014 off-season where he lost nearly 20 pounds. During the preseason, he skated alongside Sam Reinhart and was worked into a checking role with Cody McCormick and Patrick Kaleta. Having formally played as a defenceman, the 2014–15 season became Deslauriers' first as a winger. When speaking on the change, he said he felt better playing on the wing but would change positions if needed. He finished the season playing in all 82 games and tallying 15 points and 71 penalty minutes. He also finished ninth in the league with 261 hits. As a result of his play, Deslauriers was voted the teams' Rookie of the Year.

On January 4, 2016, head coach Dan Bylsma announced that Deslauriers would miss three to six weeks while recovering from a lower body injury. At the time of the injury, Deslauriers had tallied three goals and seven points through 38 games. After spending nearly a month recovering, Deslauriers returned to the Sabres lineup on February 3. Upon returning, Deslauriers was placed on team's third line alongside Cal O'Reilly and Zemgus Girgensons. Although he finished the season healthy, Deslauriers sustained a knee injury on October 30, 2016, that caused him to miss 19 games. He was limited to only 42 games during the 2016–17 season and averaged a career-low 7:25 time on ice, while recording no goals and two assists. During the off-season, he returned to his home province of Quebec.

After three full seasons in Buffalo, Deslauriers was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, before the 2017–18 season.

Montreal Canadiens On October 4, 2017, the opening day of the 2017–18 season, Deslauriers was traded by the Sabres to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Zach Redmond. Upon joining the team, he was assigned to the Laval Rocket where he tallied three goals and five points in 14 games. On November 15, he was recalled to the NHL level and made his debut with the Canadiens in a 5–4 loss against the Arizona Coyotes. He remained with the team through December where he led the team with four goals through 11 games. He also led all NHL players with 54 hits, and ranked first on the team and tied for seventh in the league in goal differentials. In honour of his improved playing skills in December, Deslauriers earned the Molson Cup honour at the end of December 2017. Following this, he was promoted to play on the Canadiens' top line with Jonathan Drouin and Alex Galchenyuk. After playing in 36 games with the Canadiens, Deslauriers signed a two-year, one-way contract extension worth $1.9 million.

Upon finishing the previous season with numerous career-highs, Deslauriers rejoined the Canadiens for their 2018–19 campaign. During a preseason matchup against the New Jersey Devils on September 17, 2018, Deslauriers suffered a facial fracture and was placed on the injured reserve. He returned to the lineup for Montreal's game against the Ottawa Senators on October 20. On November 8, Deslauriers scored his first points of the 2018–19 season, when playing against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, he assisted on a goal by Matthew Peca and scored a shorthanded goal of his own. Deslauriers was unable to replicate his previous season offensive totals, contributing with just two goals and five points through 48 games. Upon joining the team for the 2019–20 season, Deslauriers tallied seven points and 80 penalty minutes through 45 games by February 2020. As such, he signed a two-year contract to remain with the Ducks organization. Following the contract signing, Deslauriers set the record for fastest hat trick in Ducks history after scoring all three goals in the first period. His third goal came at 11:49 in the first period of a 5–2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Minnesota Wild On March 19, 2022, just days before the trade deadline, Deslauriers was traded to the Minnesota Wild for a 2023 third-round pick.

Philadelphia Flyers As a free agent from the Wild, Deslauriers was signed to a four-year, $7 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 13, 2022.

Carolina Hurricanes Deslauriers was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 6, 2026, in exchange for a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick. Carolina ultimately won the Stanley Cup in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final three months later, with Deslauriers signing a two-year extension on June 20 during the team's championship parade in Raleigh.

Personal life Deslauriers and his wife have four children together. He has a tattoo on the left arm saying "The future will be whatever you make it." Off the ice, Deslauriers owned the now bankrupt XPN Centre in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec.

Career statistics Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2006–07 Châteauguay Patriotes QMAAA 43 2 10 12 28 3 1 0 1 4 2007–08 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies QMJHL 42 2 7 9 38 4 0 0 0 0 2008–09 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies QMJHL 68 11 19 30 80 6 2 2 4 8 2009–10 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies QMJHL 65 9 36 45 72 11 2 6 8 2 2010–11 Gatineau Olympiques QMJHL 48 13 30 43 53 24 5 15 20 19 2011–12 Manchester Monarchs AHL 65 1 3 14 67 4 0 0 0 7 2012–13 Manchester Monarchs AHL 63 4 19 23 80 4 2 2 4 2 2013–14 Manchester Monarchs AHL 60 18 21 39 76 — — — — — 2013–14 Buffalo Sabres NHL 17 1 0 1 18 — — — — — 2013–14 Rochester Americans AHL 5 1 2 3 9 5 1 1 2 9 2014–15 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 5 10 15 71 — — — — — 2015–16 Buffalo Sabres NHL 70 6 6 12 59 — — — — — 2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 42 0 2 2 38 — — — — — 2017–18 Laval Rocket AHL 14 3 2 5 16 — — — — — 2017–18 Montreal Canadiens NHL 58 10 4 14 55 — — — — — 2018–19 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 2 3 5 22 — — — — — 2019–20 Anaheim Ducks NHL 59 7 6 13 92 — — — — — 2020–21 Anaheim Ducks NHL 49 5 5 10 53 — — — — — 2021–22 Anaheim Ducks NHL 61 5 5 10 90 — — — — — 2021–22 Minnesota Wild NHL 20 3 0 3 23 5 0 0 0 0 2022–23 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 6 6 12 136 — — — — — 2023–24 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 60 1 3 4 89 — — — — — 2024–25 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 31 2 1 3 15 — — — — — 2025–26 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 24 0 1 1 33 — — — — — 2025–26 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 7 0 1 1 5 1 0 0 0 4 NHL totals 708 53 53 106 799 6 0 0 0 4

Awards and honours Award Year RefNHL Stanley Cup champion 2026