Rachel Barkley
The Carolina Hurricanes took a conservative route at the NHL Trade Deadline, choosing to forego a big trade and instead bolstering the toughness factor with the acquisition of the Philadelphia Flyers’ big bruiser, Nic Deslauriers.
After the deadline closed, Tulsky spoke with the media about a plethora of topics surrounding the day’s events, ranging from what he saw in Deslauriers to the plan for the ever-controversial second center role, and everything in between.
What Nic Deslauriers Brings to the Table
Tulsky began the press conference by discussing what stood out about the Hurricanes’ latest addition.
“Nic’s a veteran. He’s a physical presence. He’s someone who has great character, does things the right way, makes the team harder to play against, and generally just sort of adds the kind of character and toughness that we wanted to bring to the group.”
He later spoke more on the doggedness Deslauriers brings to the team, as well as the tenacity they already possess.
“Ultimately, a lot of toughness is personal and internal, right? ‘Am I going to take it, or not’ is what toughness is all about to me – it’s not really ‘Do I have someone else to go take care of it for me’. And I think we have a group of guys that has that internal toughness, that fight.
“Stankoven is the smallest guy in the world, and he’s grabbed guys and started fights when he thought it needed to happen, right? So, it’s like we do have that fire, but of course, it’s easier to have that toughness when you’ve got a guy like Desloriers out there with you. Providing that for when it feels like games are getting more intense, and that might be useful to people, is something we wanted to look for.”
Comfortable with Current Centermen
A lingering dilemma for the Hurricanes has been their second centerman role, an issue that ironically sprouted upon Trocheck’s departure in 2022. Addressing questions about the rumored attempt to reunite with the former Hurricane, Tulsky affirmed his feelings regarding Logan Stankoven’s performance in the position.
“I think Logan’s been great in that role,” He said before giving a list of reasons why. “I know there’s a lot of people out there who look at the point totals and fret about it. Truthfully, at five on five, he’s produced at a high rate.
“We have three of the top 40 centers in the league in five-on-five production. And the fact that he’s not on our first power play unit has nothing to do with how good he is as a center. I think people have forgotten how many nights in October and November that line was our best line. That line has created a lot of offense this year, and he’s been part of that.
“He’s not the tallest guy, and people worry about that, but he plays really hard. He’s extremely competitive. He’s the kind of person who drags teammates into the fight. Other people look at it and say, ‘Well, if he can do that, then obviously I can. I’m twice his size’. I think it really brings something to us to have him playing the way he does. And, you know, truthfully, like I said, that line’s been great for us. And, you know, I have no concerns about it going forward at all.”
Hurricanes Received Calls on Players
Though it was expected, Tulsky confirmed that he received calls on players. However, the Hurricanes wisely avoided moving anyone out.
“In the end, you know, we are trying to win a cup here, and it would have been hard to move players out…regardless of what role they play.
“We expect to need everybody on this team at some point down the stretch. And so, we did have some calls, we explored some things, but in the end, you know, we’re trying to win a cup, and we didn’t want to thin our team out heading into the playoffs.”
Deals Did Not Make Sense for Hurricanes
Tulsky also spoke of the desire to add more high-quality players to help boost the team toward the Stanley Cup, but the difficulties the market posed, and the faith he has in the team as it is.
“Of course, we have a lot of faith in this roster. We’ve battled through a ton of injuries and are on pace for, I don’t know, 112 points or something – and getting better as we get healthier. So very happy with what we have right now.
“I would say we’re always looking to get better. We’d rather be on pace for 130 points or 150. So it’s not like I’m ever going to say ‘this team’s good enough, we don’t need to add’. We’re always trying to add. It’s just that we didn’t find deals that made sense for us at this point.
“I know players are excited to see reinforcements come in, and I want to do that for them just as much as they want to see it. We all want it. Like, nobody is more competitive than us. And, you know, we are up and down the organization. We are extremely aggressive in trying to add.
“Ultimately, you know, it’s not about my faith in them. It’s about the opportunities that were in the market to actually make additions that would make us better. Yeah. I would love to bring someone in that, you know, is one of those top 20 players and makes everyone say we’re one guy closer to getting those top 20 all on one team. It just wasn’t there to be done this year.”
