Flyers trade Nic Deslauriers to the Carolina Hurricanes

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere continues to be active during this year's NHL trade deadline, completing his third transaction of the day. This one was sending Nic Deslauriers to the Carolina Hurricanes for a conditional seventh-round pick. The conditions of the trade are unknown at the time of the trade. This deal now gives the Flyers nine picks in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Already today, the Flyers traded Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild for defenseman David Jiricek, and swapped a handful of prospects with the Boston Bruins. But this will officially be the last trade of the day for Philadelphia.

Deslauriers was signed by former general manager Chuck Fletcher to a four-year, $1.75-million AAV contract in the summer of 2022. He suited up for 195 games with the Philadelphia Flyers, and scored nine goals, registered 11 assists, and totaled 20 points while averaging 8:51 of ice time per game. He also racked up 273 penalty minutes as the Flyers' go-to fighter.

The Hurricanes are Stanley Cup contenders and are poised to win the Metropolitan Division. They also sit third in the league as well. Deslauriers' role on the team isn't clear, but he seems like the kind of locker-room presence that Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour would value during a playoff run. It's also doing right by Deslauriers in allowing him to finish out his contract with a contending team.

A Deslauriers trade was probably an inevitability after the Flyers locked up AHL veteran forward Garrett Wilson to an NHL deal. In the modern NHL, fighters like Deslauriers aren't valued like they were in the past, and taking a five-minute minor penalty in a seven-game series can really put a team with Stanley Cup aspirations behind the eight-ball.

It was never going to be anything of substance, but getting anything in return for Deslauriers--even a late conditional pick--is some nice work for Briere.