The Flyers' physical fourth-line winger is what he is.
Last summer, many Flyers fans were hoping the team would aggressively clear cap space in the offseason in order to land superstar forward Johnny Gaudreau. But they didn't. Instead, the Flyers held their ground and made a trio of inexpensive acquisitions after the free agency window opened.
They signed Justin Braun, who the team traded to the New York Rangers at least year's trade deadline, Troy Grosenick, a goalie who only has four NHL starts under his belt at 33 years old, and last but not least, Nic Deslauriers.
The Deslauriers signing was the one most fans found particularly maddening. Not because Deslauriers can't produce the same numbers as Gaudreau — that much is obvious — but because of his bizarre four-year, $7 million contract that includes a 20-team modified no-trade clause. His $1.75 million annual cap his is far above the market value for a checking-line enforcer, and paired with his no-trade clause, Deslauriers is essentially untradable.
But after a full season with the Flyers, Deslauriers actually managed to win over much of the fan base thanks to his physical play and willingness to drop the gloves. Even if his raw scoring numbers were pedestrian at best.
Season In Review
This season went pretty much as expected for Deslauriers. He finished the campaign with six goals and 12 points in 80 games and, of course, ranked toward the top of the league in penalty minutes. Only Patrick Maroon was assessed more penalty minutes than Deslauriers.
Unsurprisingly, he also ranked third in the NHL with 306 hits on the season.
But from an advanced stats perspective, Deslauriers was an absolute liability for the Flyers. At 5-on-5, he finished the season with dismal play-driving numbers — a 44.92 Corsi For percentage, a 37.50 Goals For percentage, and a 44.84 Expected Goals For percentage. Then again, though, the Flyers didn't sign Deslauriers to drive play and generate offense. He was signed to bring toughness and grit to the lineup. And by all accounts, he did just that.
Deslauriers led the entire league in fighting majors this season, and even fought two players within seconds of each other at one point.
Deslauriers will never be a play-driver, and he'll never be much of a scorer. He hasn't logged more than 15 points in a season in his entire career, and there's clearly a reason he only saw 10 minutes of ice time per game. But he's exactly what the Flyers' old decision-makers felt the squad needed at the time of his signing, and he's likely here to stay for a few more years.
Standout Moment
Against the Detroit Red Wings in March, Deslauriers scored the third shorthanded goal of his career to tie the game in the second period. After applying pressure on Jake Walman near the blue line, Deslaurier successfully intercepted Walman's ill-advised cross-ice pass and took off on a breakaway. He then beat Red Wings goalie Ville Husso with a wrister to tie the game up at one goal apiece.
The Flyers ended up winning that game by a score of 3-1.
"The funny part is I'm not here to score goals, but when I do, the guys are pumped," said Deslauriers after the game. "It's funny. When I go to touch hands they’re all laughing, so it's great."
Bottom Line
Not much was expected of Deslauriers in his first season with the Flyers, and he didn't provide much aside from the occasional fight and not-so-occasional penalty. But even though he lacks as a play-driver and scorer, he at least has earned the respect of his teammates as one of the baddest dudes in hockey. And that doesn't go unnoticed in the locker room, even if his on-ice efficiency isn't exactly up to snuff.
Verdict:
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.