Jaccob Slavin was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012 as the 29th pick in the fourth round — 120th overall — as a defenseman. In the 247 games he’s played since 2015, the 24-year-old has risen to become one of the key members of the Hurricanes’ defense, and consistently tallies some of the highest ice time on the team.
And yet, people only seem to be focusing on Slavin’s plus/minus stats and scoring percentage, both of which I’ll concede are on the lower end of the spectrum. However, as a defenseman, Slavin’s primary focus should be making sure the other team scores less, which is what he seems to be doing. A defenseman does not have to be flashy to be considered one of the league’s elite — a concept that seems to escape a lot of people, but that describes Slavin perfectly.
The Hurricanes are coming off of a busy weekend, playing back-to-back games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils. Saturday night’s game against Columbus was a blowout, with the Canes losing 4-1 in regulation after a four-day break from playing altogether.
In his post-game interview, head coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed seldom-seen frustration with the way the team was playing, going so far as to say that the Canes lacked the desperation needed to bring home a win. In all of this, though, Slavin quietly tallied 23 minutes on ice, keeping up a solid line of defense and contributing significantly to 4 of the Canes’ 5 penalty kills record during the game.
Carolina rallied on Sunday to beat the New Jersey Devils by scoring two goals in the first 30 seconds of the game, before tightening up on defense and stopping all but one goal from the Devils for the rest of regulation. We’ll forget that Carolina didn’t score any more goals itself, either, and instead focus on the two full periods of stalwart defense played by the Canes, who were (for once) outnumbered in shots on goal by the Devils 34-25.
Lest we forget what this is all about, it’s important to note that Slavin again played almost 23 minutes during Sunday night’s game. In fact, overall, Slavin is ranked in the Eastern Conference’s top 10 for total time on Ice, and in the top 30 overall for the NHL. He’s ranked number one on the Hurricanes.
What’s interesting to note is that for a defenseman, Slavin isn’t a particularly physical player. He’s ranked all the way at 84th in the Eastern Conference for overall hits so far this season, having delivered just 13. He’s only had one minor penalty and no majors in the 20 games played so far this season, which is relatively low for a defenseman — a position which implies some physicality to keep opposition players off the puck.
Statistics and rankings aside, Slavin is exactly the kind of quiet but sturdy defenseman needed on the Hurricanes. His stamina and ability to know and be right where he needs to be defensively is not only impressive, but also the markings of an elite defenseman in the NHL overall.
Slavin’s playing style is far from flashy, but his presence on the team as an anchor on the defensive line is key to improving the Canes’ penalty kill rankings and overall win percentage. It’s time people take note of his contributions to this team, and pay attention to what he will no doubt achieve moving forward.
