Canes unveil new two-year contract with free agent during Stanley Cup parade
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- Deslauriers inked a two-year, $1.75 million deal on stage during the parade.
- The contract prevented him from becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
- He appeared in seven regular-season games and logged 3:09 in the Cup run.
After winning the Stanley Cup, player after player approached Canes general manager Eric Tulsky and thanked him for bringing them to Raleigh, he said during the Canes post-parade rally Saturday.
One such player was Nicolas Deslauriers, Tulsky said, who inked a two-year contract on stage during the post-parade rally.
“Two more (expletive) years,” Deslauriers hollered to the cheering crowd during the rally.
The 35-year-old left winger agreed to a $1.75 million contract, the NHL officially announced Saturday, preventing him from becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
The Canes acquired Deslauriers via trade with the Philadelphia Flyers in March and he appeared in seven regular season games. In those contests, he recorded one point and five shots on goal.
Deslauriers played just 3:09 during the Canes’ Stanley Cup run, appearing in one contest against the Ottawa Senators.
“Nic has fit in with our locker room and culture from day one when he got to Raleigh,” Tulsky said in a press release. “He provides a veteran presence and adds a physical element to our roster.”
After the Los Angeles Kings selected Deslauriers in the 2009 NHL Draft, he has played for six NHL franchises in his career.
The Deslauriers move is the Canes’ first announced transaction since winning the Cup on June 14.
Canes owner Tom Dundon, asked Saturday about the team’s roster setup for next season, spoke optimistically about a possible repeat championship.
“I’ve felt this way for a while, so I don’t think it’s much different,” Dundon said. “This year obviously happened, but the team should be just as good, maybe better. And if that’s the case, based on what just happened, we should have a chance.”
This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 2:39 PM.