Quebec hockey player Nicolas Deslauriers does not regret his decision to join the Philadelphia Flyers, even if his new team is not perceived by observers as a contender for the next Stanley Cup.

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The former Montreal Canadiens hopes to have found the perfect place to pursue his long-term career after a 2021-2022 campaign marked by a trade that took him from the Anaheim Ducks to the Minnesota Wild. The signatory to a four-year, $7 million deal believes he'll have plenty of opportunity to show off his skills at an organization known for its tough play. This is also one of the reasons he chose the Flyers.

“For the first time, I got into the free agent market and a lot of clubs called. [...] After talking at length with [general manager] Chuck [Fletcher] and seeing that the team wanted to take a step forward, I believed that the marriage was good, ”he said in point press release on Zoom, Thursday.

"I think I've proven that I can play hockey. The market was chasing me this summer. The process was interesting”, he also mentioned.

Fists before points...

As many have seen over the years, Deslauriers does not go overboard when he puts his skates on the ice and the principal concerned is obviously well aware of this. The striker who spoke to reporters in a Guns N' Roses t-shirt likes to 'rock the cage' on his opponents, as shown by his 521 lifetime penalty minutes in the National League and some of his fights from recent seasons.

In Philadelphia, he expects to be well-liked by head coach John Tortorella and the rest of the staff there.

"I know I won't score a lot of goals, but to me those stats aren't what I'm looking at," he said. Few guys in this league do what I do. On the other hand, I have tried to improve my game in recent years by doing a lot of power skating. It's still a very fast track."