The mainstay of the Canes’ blue line played with his fourth different defensive partner of the past four seasons, and was predictably excellent. Again.
Jaccob Slavin: 2022-23 By the Numbers
- Age: 29
- NHL Seasons: 8
- Scoring: 7 goals, 20 assists, 27 points in 76 games
- Playoff Scoring: 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points in 15 games
- Advanced Stats: 56.3 CF%, 52.8 HDCF%, 49.4 GF%, 52.3 xGF%
- Average TOI: 19:07 ES, 0:08 PP, 2:42 SH
- Contract Status: Signed through 2024-25 at $5.3M AAV
Before we go anywhere else with this review, let us begin by praising Jaccob Slavin, the Lady Byng of his generation (seriously, if we’re going to rename the Selke for Patrice Bergeron, the least we can do is rename the Byng for Slavin), for reining in his unhinged ways that saw him accumulate double-digit penalty minutes in 2021-22 and keep it to a much more reasonable eight PIMs in 2022-23: two delay of games, and two tripping penalties. Good job, Jaccob. Next year, try even harder.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, it was another workmanlike year for the keystone of the Hurricanes’ defensive corps. Those ice time numbers tell the story: no player on the team saw more time at even strength and shorthanded than Slavin, and only his current and past partners, Brent Burns and Brett Pesce, played more overall owing to their more frequent use on the power play.
Playing with his fourth defensive partner in as many years, Slavin proved to be exactly what Burns needed to reenergize his career after coming over from San Jose. Ignore for a second that Burns finished 10th in Norris voting and Slavin 17th; Burns hadn’t as much as been named on a ballot in five years. That he came out of nowhere back to dominance is just as much a testament to playing next to Slavin as it was to his own remarkable resurgence.
It’s probably fair to argue that no one on the Hurricanes roster is more integral to their style of play than Slavin, and it makes sense that such a unique player is so key in such a unique system. His skating ability remains unparalleled, he manages to defuse dicey situations with seemingly little effort, and every once in a while he’ll chip in with a sweet assist to remind everyone that he does indeed have game on the opponent’s side of the red line.
That contract, a bargain the day it was signed, has only increased in value. When Slavin is eligible for an extension next summer, it will be wise for the Hurricanes to take the same approach they’re using with Sebastian Aho: pay the man, and figure out the details later. In the meantime, as long as Slavin’s on the roster and playing at this level, the Canes’ contention window might never be totally closed.