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Nicolas Deslauriers Celebrates His Day With The Stanley Cup In North Wildwood
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- Nicolas Deslauriers Celebrates His Day With The Stanley Cup In North Wildwood
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Nicolas Deslauriers was traded by the Philadelphia Flyers on March 6th, 2026, at the NHL Trade Deadline to the Carolina Hurricanes. When the 2025-26 season began, lifting the Stanley Cup at the end of the season seemed like a far stretch. For Deslauriers, that dream became a reality.
"I've always been a guy that just works out the same way. I come prepared for camp; I never thought that this was going to be an opportunity , " said Deslauriers during his day with the Stanley Cup.
(Photo Courtesy of Brian Reed)
The Hurricanes forward, who just re-upped for two years in Raleigh, chose to spend his day with the coveted trophy in North Wildwood, where Philly Hockey Now was able to catch up with the former Flyer at Seaport Pier.
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Reflecting on the opportunity to be a part of a Cup run, Deslauriers gave credit to Flyers GM Danny Briere for giving him the chance. "Obviously, when I was with the Flyers for three, three and a half years, you wish that you win it with them. You gotta give credit to Danny B. He gave me a chance to go somewhere else, and you know, this is still home for us. We love it here. My family loves it in Jersey, and you know, it's just having that opportunity at the age I am too, and you know, going all the way is something special."
The bruiser forward had made the postseason just once before in his career, making 5 appearances for the Minnesota Wild in 2021-22. He made just one appearance during the Hurricanes' incredible 16-3 playoff run, but it ended with Deslauriers getting to lift the Stanley Cup in the end.
Reflecting on that, Deslauriers said, "It's crazy. This whole year was kind of a whirlwind. A lot of things going my way and not, but you know the career I had. You know, your main goal is to make it to the NHL. Then staying is another thing, and then looking at that thing (The Stanley Cup) is fucking fantastic."
The veteran forward took on a leadership role when he got to Carolina. He described it as like being an assistant coach, really. Still, he is incredibly appreciative of his time with the Hurricanes.
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"It's just the way I got treated off the ice; it was something special. I'm happy for the extension I signed and everything. But I said it to a lot of people. I'd pay to play on this team. It's such a special team. The group that we have there, the coaching staff. Rod is an unbelievable human being, and you know, the owner has been great to me too. I'm happy just to have two more years there, and we'll see what happens."
Even though he was on the other side of things, Deslauriers was still proud to see what the Flyers accomplished this past season. "I'm proud about what the Flyers did. You know, they pushed it to the end and got in and saw something special. And you know, I was talking to a lot of the Flyers guys that I played with. That this thing there is something."
And of course, he saw the ovation the Philly fans gave at the end of the year. Between that and the amount of Orange and Black that came to North Wildwood to celebrate his accomplishment with him, he saw how much the Flyers fans care and has a ton of respect for them. " It's a great fan base, you know. They deserve to go to the playoffs as they did, and then they deserve to do something else. "
Now, July 17th is celebrated as Nicolas Deslauriers Day in North Wildwood.
(Photo Courtesy of Brian Reed)
Congratulations to Nicolas on an incredible accomplishment!
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