Flyers Trade Nic Deslauriers to Carolina
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 02: Nicolas Deslauriers #44 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on during pregame warmups before a preseason game against the New York Islanders at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 02, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
After trading away Bobby Brink earlier this morning, Flyers center and enforcer Nicolas Deslauriers is next to go, as general manager Daniel Briere has agreed to send the 35-year-old to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Though a seventh-round pick isn’t so great, this move benefits the Flyers and Hurricanes in a few ways each, as the Flyers continue to sell and the Canes continue to buy.
For the Hurricanes, their window to win the Stanley Cup in the spring is closing at a rapid pace, meaning they might only have a few more years or top-tier contention in the National Hockey League. If they are looking to push their way to the finish line this time, they need to add on something they have lacked for the last five years: physicality.
The scoring is there, but the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers have been able to run right over the Canes in the playoffs, which is what makes Deslauriers a good candidate to fill this role.
With his time in Philadelphia, Deslauriers always brought the physical play with him; whether he rushed to finish a check in the corner or engaged in a fight, he always knew he would win. Obviously, Deslauriers won’t put up offensive numbers in Carolina, but he can give them some extra juice heading into April.
For the Flyers, they finally get to get rid of a fourth liner who just didn’t fit in the system of Flyers hockey, as he wasn’t able to make his presence known as easily this season as in years past. With the thought of Grunstrom, Couturier, or Abols playing center on the fourth line, getting rid of Deslauriers clears up space for a potential 2C or even 1C coming into the lineup. Though there isn’t much to do with the seventh-round pick, the Flyers were able to clear up some more room on their roster during this rebuild.
Overall, Brink and now Deslauriers could be the only Flyers to move for all we know, which may seem disappointing, but the general market this year during the deadline has been quiet to say the least. With the exception of John Carlson going to the Anaheim Ducks and Nick Foligno going to the Minnesota Wild, the Flyers aren’t missing out on too much this year, regardless of who they deal off.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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