Carolina Hurricanes Three Stars of the Week: Jaccob Slavin Impresses

A big week in Carolina Hurricanes history comes to a close, and a trio of player rose to the occasion.

It was a big week for the Carolina Hurricanes, a week which featured the end of a big era in Canes hockey.

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The team said good-bye to longtime cornerstone and captain Eric Staal, feisty point-producing forward Kris Versteeg, and perhaps their most underrated defenseman John-Michael Liles.

In the wake of adversity, the Hurricanes posted an even 1-1-1 record against some very good teams in the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning and a playoff hopeful New Jersey Devils team.

Over the past week, the team showed a lot of heart. The management made decisions that show they are working for the future, not the present. And while this move was the right one for the organization, it can demoralize a roster of young players looking to make a playoff push.

The Canes didn’t help themselves much in the standings, they did play some great hockey at times. A trio of players really stuck out in the process.

Here are the three stars of the week.

It was a big, career-defining week for rookie Derek Ryan.

The 29-year-old journeyman didn’t take long to make his mark at the NHL level with the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring on his first shot in the show.

That powerplay goal legitimized Ryan’s call-up and his previous success at the AHL level with the Charlotte Checkers. On top of scoring, he won 12 of 19 faceoffs and made a great first impression for Canes fans against the Devils on Tuesday.

Ryan skated on the fourth line in each of his first two NHL games this week, but he proved that he wasn’t a pushover. He is a hard worker, he plays well down low despite his small stature, and he made offensive contributions.

Ultimately, if Derek Ryan wants to stick around in the best hockey league on the planet, he will need to be a point producer. He will have to prove that he is worthy of an NHL roster spot over the next 16 games. It’s a tall task, but I think everyone will be rooting for him as he looks to turn his cup of coffee into something much more with the Hurricanes.

The Carolina Hurricanes needed someone to step up offensively after seeing a pair of key contributors moving out, and Jeff Skinner delivered the goods.

Carolina Hurricanes

Skinner had a pair of two-point games, posting one goal and one assist in games against the Blues and Lightning. On Saturday in Florida, he rekindled his great chemistry with Victor Rask and Phil Di Giuseppe, and it made a big difference against an elite Lightning team.

A lot has been said about Skinner’s progression as a two-way player, and that continued this week. He continues to dog opponents on the forecheck, and played some very smart and reliable hockey in all three zones.

A big stat for the 2010 Calder Trophy winner was his 16 shots on net in just three games. The Hurricanes absolutely need Skinner to be active and involved offensively, and he is at his best when he is shooting the puck. He did just that this week, and it’s not a coincidence that he saw some good offensive numbers come with it.

Going forward, Jeff Skinner needs to be the leader offensively. He can’t do it alone, but he needs to lead the charge. The final month of the season will be big for him as he looks to turn into the true goal scorer of the future for the Hurricanes.

Skinner leads the Canes in goals (23) and is tied for second in points (39). He is also getting closer and closer to moving his plus/minus into positive territory. He currently is a -1.

In October, young blue liner Jaccob Slavin wasn’t on the radar of many people, and if he was, he was well-behind guys like Noah Hanifin, Brett Pesce, Ryan Murphy and Haydn Fleury, but since he first cracked the NHL lineup on November 20, he has continued to prove that he is the real deal.

On Tuesday in New Jersey, Slavin posted his first multi-point game, picking up a pair of helpers en route to a big 3-1 win over the Devils, and then he followed it up on Saturday with what was nothing short of an elite-level performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the hottest team in the NHL.

Slavin skated a career-high 29:54 in the game and was a +1. He completely shut down Tampa’s top players, including Steven Stamkos, who had scored seven goals in his eight previous games. Stamkos finished the night with zero points and just two shots on net.

What Slavin is doing is unprecedented. When Justin Faulk went down with injury in late February, the big question was, how is Carolina going to replace him? They figured out quickly that Slavin was the answer.

He has logged north of 22:00 of ice time in every game since February 23. In those six games, he is a +5 player while going against each team’s top players.

The 21-year-old rookie continues to amaze. He has gotten better and better as the season has worn on, which is the opposite of how a vast majority of young players go, especially young defenseman.

Slavin’s two-way game has reached a brand new level. He is becoming the work horse of the Carolina blue line in Faulk’s absence. If he can keep this up, the Hurricanes will have a seriously good talent in Slavin.

His future is incredibly bright, and it seems to get even brighter every game he plays. He’s young, he’s talented, and he’s smart. Slavin looks like an absolute steal for a 2012 fourth round draft pick.

Next: This Season is Much Different for the Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes will now push forward and take on the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Buffalo Sabres this week.