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Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

Carolina Hurricanes Need Jaccob Slavin’s Skillset as December Nears

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Nov 25, 2025 10:05 AM ET

The Carolina Hurricanes enter the week of American Thanksgiving with a 14-6-2 record, after grabbing five points on their recent four-game road trip. They’ve been finding ways to stay competitive, despite dealing with a slew of injuries through the first 22 games of the season. The blue line has been holding its own, as they’ve been hit the hardest when dealing with said injuries. However, while they’ve been chugging along, they could still use Jaccob Slavin‘s services as we draw near to December.

In Need of Slavin’s Services

Slavin entered the 2025-26 season with some concerns about his health, as he had a knee brace on heading into training camp. He was able to play in the first two games of the season against the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers. However, since Oct. 11 against the Flyers, Slavin has missed the last 20 games for the Hurricanes. This has been the longest amount of time the team has not had Slavin in the lineup. From his elite defense and penalty killing skills to just his presence on the blue line, there has been an effect of not having him on the ice.

The Hurricanes are known for having a top-three defense and penalty killing unit; there has been a dip in that department so far this season. As of Nov. 25, they are 21st on the penalty kill (78.6%) after killing off 55 of 70 penalties. They’ve, however, let in 15 power-play goals over those 70 penalty kill chances. But they have scored shorthanded goals, so there are some positives in that aspect. For the Hurricanes’ defense and penalty-killing coach Tim Gleason, they could use Slavin back in a big way.

The Hurricanes’ goal differential is plus-13, which is tied for second in the NHL, only behind the Colorado Avalanche’s plus-38. This is all while leaning on Sean Walker, Shayne Gostisbehere, Mike Reilly, Alexander Nikishin, Jalen Chatfield, and others holding down the fort in Slavin’s absence. Outside of his rookie season, Slavin has had over a 50 Corsi for percentage (CF%), meaning when he is on the ice, the Hurricanes hold the most possession. During the 2024-25 season, he had a 52.5 CF%. After two games in 2025-26, Slavin has a 63.2 CF%.

When it comes to zone ice time, Slavin in the 2024-25 season was in the upper echelon when it comes to all three zones of the ice. In terms of defensive zone time, Slavin was a 36.6%, putting him in the 94th percentile. Regarding the neutral zone (18.6%) and the offensive zone (44.8%), he is in the 86th and 90th percentiles. The NHL average for all three zones, from the defensive to the offensive zones, is 40.3%, 17.9%, and 41.9%. This is not even factoring in Slavin’s sneaky speed.

Slavin maxed out last season at 24.19 miles per hour (MPH), putting him in the 99th percentile. That was the eighth fastest in the entire NHL, with Seth Jarvis coming in fifth at 24.42 MPH. Regarding skating distance, he skated 233.64 miles, putting him in the 85th percentile. He was managing this while finishing with a plus-16 in 80 games and only having eight penalty minutes. Those eight penalty minutes are combined with the regular season and the playoffs, where he had none in the postseason.

Slavin’s mix of sneaky speed, stick skills, lack of penalty minutes, and overall elite-levels of defense makes him someone the Hurricanes need as they close in on the final month of 2025. While there is no timetable yet for his return, they will still be leaning on their current group to keep their spot at the top of the Metropolitan Division. They’ve been doing pretty well at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. However, there is no denying that having a guy like Slavin would be a massive boost for Rod Brind’Amour’s team.