In the middle of the downtown celebration on Saturday, Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky pulled out a paper and pen and offered Nicolas Deslauriers a two year contract. The winger readily signed it, apparently making this the first order of business for the Canes this offseason.
The deal will pay Deslauriers $850,000 this coming season and $900,000 for the next. Perhaps he also serves as Tulsky’s personal body guard, the GM certainly likes him.
“Nic has fit in with our locker room and culture from day one when he got to Raleigh,” said Tulsky. “He provides a veteran presence and adds a physical element to our roster.”
He played a bit over three minutes in one playoff appearance and played in seven regular season games for Carolina, earning one assist.
This now makes 14 forwards signed to NHL contracts for Carolina this coming season. The next big question is what happens with Jesperi Kotkaniemi?
According to Frank Seravalli’s report from last week, maybe Carolina’s front office and the coaching staff are still not on the same page regarding this player. While the FO sees value, the coaching staff seemingly wouldn’t play him if he was the last forward available. Deslauriers was placed ahead of him during the playoffs and at the end of the season.
With the draft coming up this weekend, it seems something should happen soon. We will be watching.
