Former teammates, familiar faces, and a coach's cherished history collide as Hurricanes face off against the Flyers. Old bonds tested, new rivalries ignite.
The Carolina Hurricanes are preparing to take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
While there's a noticeable lack of Hurricanes connections in Philly, there are actually quite a few the other way.
Four of the current members of the Hurricanes once wore the orange and black and one as recently as just two months ago.
Nicolas Deslauriers was actually dealt from the Flyers to the Canes this past trade deadline as a favor to the longtime veteran, but despite the odds, Philly managed to find a way into the postseason anyway.
"If you had asked me that question at the trade deadline, I would never have thought that this would have happened" Deslauriers said when asked about the matchup. "Good on them, but we have business to do here. I'm on this side now."
Deslauriers knows that he won't necessarily be a lineup regular, given the Hurricanes wealth of depth and talent, but he says he's more than okay with that.
"I'm here to do my job and if it's on the ice or off the ice, it doesn't change for me," Deslauriers said. "I just want to win."
But if he should get back into the lineup, he already knows what his gameplan will be against his old teammates.
"Hit everybody."
Sean Walker is another guy who once played for Philadelphia, although he only was there for a part of one season back in 2023.
While he doesn't necessarily have as deep of a bond with the city, he did get to know a lot of the guys who are still there and he thinks that that might help him stay out of the mud with a few of them, especially Travis Konecny.
"Before I played with TK, he was definitely one of those guys for me, but now that I know him, it won't be too hard to ignore him," Walker said.
The Hurricanes do have someone on the roster though who spent a long time with the organization.
Shayne Gostisbehere was drafted by Philadelphia in 2012 and played in parts of seven seasons, including three playoffs, with the Flyers.
"It's a great playoff atmosphere there," Gostisbehere said. "I had a couple of playoffs there and still have a few buddies on the team. Definitely a full-circle moment, for sure, though. It's been a while, but excited to play them."
But none of the former player had as strong of a connection with the City of Brotherly Love than Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour.
Before he was a franchise icon in Carolina, Brind'Amour was big name Flyer, playing for the organization from 1991 to 2000.
"I loved it," Brind'Amour said on his time in Philly. "It was a great opportunity to come into when I did. We were kind of a young team at the time and I just loved every minute of it. The fans, the environment, the mentorship that they have there, like they had a bunch of the older guys and they looked after the younger guys, which was me at the time. I still have good relationships there all these years later. It was a very positive experience."
Brind'Amour played only one fewer season with the Flyers than with the Hurricanes and in 633 games there, he had 235 goals and 601 points.
He was a franchise cornerstone in Philly, serving as an alternate captain and finishing in the top-10 in multiple statistical categories by the team he left.
He was so beloved in fact, that he was inducted into the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame back in 2015.
"I'm happy for that whole fanbase there," Brind'Amour said. "It's a great sports town and they deserve a good team."
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