Veteran tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers secured his first championship after Carolina toppled Vegas, capping a journey that included a memorable physical stint with the Minnesota Wild.
The 2025-26 season offically ended when the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday to hoist the Stanley Cup.
This marks the offical start of the offseason.
Before we get to that, a few players on the Hurricanes lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time and were both former Minnesota Wild players.
Nicolas Deslauriers was the only trade acquisition for the Canes at the deadline. He played in seven games for the Hurricanes after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers for a conditional 7th-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Deslauriers, 35, recorded one assist in seven regular season games for Carolina and played in just one playoff game during the Canes' run.
The veteran enforcer played in 20 regular season games for the Wild in 2021-22. He recorded three goals and 53 hits. In five playoff games, Deslauriers recorded 13 hits. He has played in six career playoff games. Five with Minnesota and one with Carolina.
He is now a Stanley Cup Champion.
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