{"id":564751,"date":"2026-05-02T04:33:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/564751\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T04:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:33:22","slug":"im-here-now-hurricanes-nicolas-deslauriers-reflects-on-surprise-playoff-matchup-against-flyers-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/564751\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m Here Now\u2019: Hurricanes Nicolas Deslauriers Reflects on Surprise Playoff Matchup Against Flyers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Carolina Hurricanes<\/a>\u2019 locker room was bustling with chatter amongst reporters and players fresh from practice. But for one of those players, Saturday\u2019s Round Two matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> hits just a little differently.<\/p>\n

Nicolas Deslauriers<\/a>, the Hurricanes\u2019 trusty enforcer, had been dealt by the Flyers at the trade deadline<\/a> to Carolina as the playoffs seemed out of reach for Philadelphia. He had spent four seasons with them and 195 games \u2013 the second most he had with any NHL team.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey switched the tide around, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Deslauriers said<\/a>, discussing their surge into the playoffs after a rough start to the season.<\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Flyers Were a Longshot for the Postseason at the NHL Trade Deadline<\/p>\n

As of March 18th, the Flyers only had an estimated 3.8% chance<\/a> of even making the postseason. Reporters couldn\u2019t help pointing out the irony of how he had been traded to a Stanley Cup-contending team by a team they will now face in the second round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were to ask me that question on trade deadline, I would have never thought this was going to happen, but good on them,\u201d he said in response. \u201cI think we\u2019ve got business to do here, and I\u2019m on this side now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cObviously, I had kind of a weird season there,\u201d Deslauriers said, reflecting on the team he had played for less than two months ago. \u201cWe were testing a lot of young guys at the start of the year, and I didn\u2019t play much there \u2013 but, you know, just try to bring the good attitude off the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at one point, for me and my career, I wanted a change. And I\u2019m happy they gave it to me. And I\u2019m here now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deslauriers Played Magnificently in Game 4 Despite a Four-Year Postseason Absence<\/p>\n

Last Saturday, when the Hurricanes accomplished their sweep of the Ottawa Senators<\/a>, Deslauriers was in the lineup due to the injury to Nikolaj Ehlers<\/a>. It was his first postseason appearance since 2022, where he played five games for the Minnesota Wild<\/a>. Despite such a long period of time since those appearances, he played like he had been in the lineup all along.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t know that I\u2019ve seen a guy that played as little as that have as much impact on the game,\u201d head coach Rod Brind\u2019Amour said<\/a> of the Hurricanes\u2019 bruiser on Tuesday, following their first practice since Round One\u2019s conclusion. \u201cI mean, it was every shift and, you know, he\u2019s been just what we needed around here, and I think the guys love him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been impactful on the ice when he\u2019s played\u2026He hasn\u2019t played in a long time in the playoffs, but it didn\u2019t look like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

After having been asked whether shaving up postseason ice in Game 4 against the Senators had sparked a hunger for more nights in the lineup, Deslauriers\u2019 response to the question was both insightful and straight to the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really, to be honest with you\u2026I\u2019m here to do my job, and if it\u2019s on the ice or off the ice, it doesn\u2019t change for me. It\u2019s not more of an \u2018anger\u2019, more of being \u2018hungry\u2019 or something \u2013 I think it\u2019s more of \u2018I just want to win\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Hurricanes will have the first Round Two matchup leaguewide of the postseason, and while the schedule beyond Game 1 has yet to be released, one thing can be certain: Deslauriers\u2019 hockey philosophy will remain the same against his former team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHit everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also Read:: WATCH: Veteran Enforcer Nicolas Deslauriers Fights Mathieu Olivier in Carolina Hurricanes Debut<\/a><\/p>\n

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