Deslauriers a man who understands his skillset and his role

ST. PAUL --Take one look at Nicolas Deslauriers hands and you'll see exactly the kind of rugged player the Wild acquired from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
The bruised, scuffed knuckles of Deslauriers, who is tied for the NHL lead with 10 fights this season, is just one reflection of exactly what the Wild will be getting with its newest forward. The other is an engaging, self-deprecating and downright funny personality.
Following his first practice with the Wild on Sunday at TRIA Rink, Deslauriers was asked by one reporter about the skillset he brings to the table as a player.

"What skillset?" Deslauriers deadpanned, a smile quickly drawing across his face.
In 486 NHL games, the 84th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft has tallied 41 goals and 41 assists. In nine seasons in the NHL, Deslauriers has scored double digit goals.
And now, at 31 years old, Deslauriers knows exactly what that skillset must include for him to be the most valuable player he can be to the Wild down the stretch.

"I know my role well," Deslauriers said. "It took me maybe a while to adjust to it, to kind of know when to fight, when not to, what brings energy."
Deslauriers admitted his final year with the Montreal Canadiens in 2018-19 was not going the way he had hoped. He tallied two goals and five points in 48 games but was a minus-12 and had just 22 penalty minutes, a low number for a guy tasked with defending teammates on the regular.
He credited his move to Anaheim the following season for reigniting his career and allowing him to prove to himself and his teammates that he still had plenty to give in the NHL.
"I went there and proved to myself that I can play and also that I can do the heavy lifting," Deslauriers said. "We had Josh Manson there to do the heavy lifting when I got there, and he had the mindset to play hockey and he proved to be a good defenseman.
"My role is the same here. [Marcus Foligno] chuckle all the time, any time he fights or I fight, we text each other. But I want to be that guy doing it, and I want him ... how many goals does he have, 19? I don't want him [to spend] five minutes in the box. I'll do the five minutes. I think that's what I bring. Energy, being a safe player defensively. I wish I could score 19 like Moose, but I guess my skill set is not that good."
Deslauriers broke into the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and spent four seasons playing alongside Foligno, so the two bruisers developed a close relationship years ago.

"He' a great guy and a great teammate and just a guy that understands the room and bringing that character that he is," Foligno said. "He's a standup guy and he also [has] a team-first mentality which is what we want here. Having a guy come in here this time of year, these are really tough games now and to rely on a guy like D-Lo to help in that department and manage the game ... he's done a lot of that in Anaheim for their team and we're excited to see what he can do here on this experienced team."
In addition to his added grit and sandpaper, Deslauriers has become a quality penalty killer, which is another area where he will step in and help the Wild immediately.
Both he and fellow newcomer Tyson Jost, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week, are solid killers who will help ease some of the minutes load on the Wild's top forwards during a busy schedule down the stretch.

"I think you've seen, we've already pulled back a bit with [Ryan Hartman] when Jost came in because we were able to fill in a little bit, and now Hartzy and [Mats Zuccarello] are going out for the last few seconds or end of the PK with Kirill when we come out of it," said Wild coach Dean Evason. "It gives us depth in all areas. We've really liked our penalty kill the las couple of days. The emphasis was being on a little more aggressive, intelligently aggressive, but we got after it and made teams make plays. We got a little passive there for a bit, and our penalty kill is back and it helps to have people to be fresh. We can use a lot of guys, so it'll be interesting to see how we disperse that and keep everyone as happy as possible."
In nine seasons in the NHL, Deslauriers has yet to play in a Stanley Cup Playoff game, something he hopes to rectify this spring, as he brings the tough, physical game that is so reminiscent of playoff-type hockey.
"Me coming from Montreal to Anaheim and going to that bigger [Pacific] Division, I think that's where I found my game," Deslauriers said. "I like those games, playoff games in midseason, it gets you ready. Obviously I know what I have to bring, whoever is playing on the other side, who I can fight or cannot, it doesn't change my game. I want to make the guys feel comfortable on the ice and give the guys some space and score some goals, and make sure we do our job as a line."
Photo by Brandon McCauley