Hurricanes Defenseman Continues to Be Disrespected

For starters, he’s the best penalty killing defenseman around. Last season, he averaged nearly three minutes of ice time on the penalty kill. It’s no surprise, then, that the Hurricanes boasted the most effective penalty killing unit in the league, successfully stopping 83.6% of the power plays against them. And Carolina hardly ever have to worry about Slavin being the reason for their penalty troubles. He has hasn’t exceeded eight penalty minutes in a season since 2021-2022, when his lack of discipline led to a whopping 10 penalty minutes.

Where Slavin also dominates is the giveaway and takeaway battle. Slavin’s hand-eye coordination and stick handling are on display in defensive situations. Opposing forwards find it frustratingly difficult to gain the offensive zone if they have Slavin one-on-one. He’s so sneaky with his stick placement and forces the puck-carrier into a bad position or an error with his technique.

Last season, Slavin led the NHL in average takeaways per game. He posted 2.1 takeaways per 60 minutes of ice time, according to Dobber Sports data. That figure was the best in the league among all players. The next best figure posted by a defenseman was his teammate in Carolina, Sean Walker, with 1.7 per 60 minutes of ice time.

With that level of defensive success, you’d likely put Slavin in the box of stay-at-home defender, but that couldn’t be further from the way he plays. While he is the most responsible defender in his own zone, his mobility and awareness of when to join the rush and insert himself as an attacker is second to none. He recognizes the developing play before it happens and has the wheels to get up ice and close the gap in either direction.

And the Canes score with Slavin on the ice. Last year, he recorded six goals and 27 points in 80 contests. It was the fourth consecutive year, and the eighth time in the last nine seasons, that he’s exceeded the 25-point mark.

The disrespect for Jaccob Slavin must end. There’s no better two-way defenseman in the NHL right now, and even with all of the offensive superstardom occupying the blue line, Slavin should still be considered among the very, very best at this position.