This article will be another in my series of player profiles, where I’ll look at each player on the Anaheim Ducks and assess how their season went. This article will focus on Nicolas Deslauriers.
This was Deslauriers’ first season with the Ducks, after being acquired from Montreal last summer. He produced at a better rate than expected, scoring 7 goals and 13 points in 59 games, a pace of 10 goals and 18 points per 82 games, and did it while playing less than any player on the team, averaging just 9:47 per game. He also brought energy to the fourth line and certainly used his 6-foot-3, 219-pound frame to add a physical presence.
Having said that, some of his underlying numbers paint a different picture. Deslauriers played against the lowest quality of competition of any Ducks forward who played at least 10 games with the team (according to Hockey Abstract), which can potentially account for his production being higher. Despite playing against fairly weak competition, he had a corsi for percentage of just 43.6 per cent. It is important to note that Deslauriers had a very low offensive zone start percentage, as did Derek Grant and Carter Rowney, which can account for the lower possession numbers. However, Deslauriers also had an expected goals for percentage of just 42.9 per cent, while Grant and Rowney were even lower (according to NaturalStatTrick.com), which isn’t flattering for the fourth line.
Deslauriers just signed a two-year extension in February, so it’s safe to say he’ll be around for a couple more years. Heading into next season, Deslauriers is likely to be back on the fourth line once again, though as more prospects start making their way into the Ducks lineup, at some point, he may find himself fighting for ice time.
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