The Ultimate Player… with Nicolas Deslauriers

MONTREAL - From Gretzky to Crosby, and Lemieux to Lafleur, every NHLer has envied at least one aspect of another player's game over the course of their career. With that in mind, we asked forward Nicolas Deslauriers to build his Ultimate Player based on a list of several highly-coveted hockey-related characteristics.

VISION: CONNOR MCDAVID / PATRICK KANE
It's just the plays they make, especially on the power play. They can make fancy plays and some of those harder plays. Their ability to actually make those plays successfully makes them different than a lot of people.

HANDS: TYLER ENNIS
Practicing with him, he's really unbelievable. He massages the puck. It's something special. In games, he almost always makes one of those highlight-reel moves like a toe-drag or one of those flips just lands right on his blade. He's one guy who impressed me a lot skill-wise.

POWER: SHEA WEBER / BRENT BURNS
When I was playing against Montreal, Shea was one of those guys that impressed me. I like to hit, but when I'd go in the corners - he's strong, he's a beast. When I was in Buffalo, I also saw him break some shin pads with his shot. You can also put Brent Burns in there. He's hard to hit, too. When you hit him, he's solid. Strength-wise, when it comes to those one-on-one battles, he's strong.

SPEED: MICHAEL GRABNER
He doesn't get that many breakaways for nothing. He uses his speed well. He's one of the fastest guys in the League and he shows it a lot. On the PK alone, he gets a lot of breakaways. He's fast.

SHOT: BRENT BURNS / DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN
Obviously, Shea would be right up there, of course. But, to go with something different - as a forward trying to block shots - I'd say Burns and Byfuglien are tied together. They get pucks through, and their shots are hard and accurate.

HEART: BRENDAN GALLAGHER
Playing against him, he was that water bug that just never stops. He's always around everything. Playing with him, I can see just how good it is to have that kind of player on your team. Every day, every night it's something special. He brings everything to the table. He's one of those guys who gets his nose dirty. It works well for him, but it's annoying for others.