The Professional Hockey Writers Association announced their midseason awards on Wednesday and Carolina Hurricanes’ defenseman Jaccob Slavin garnered some much-deserved recognition.
Everyone who follows the Carolina Hurricanes knows just how important Jaccob Slavin is to the team’s success. Since his rookie season in 2015-16, the Colorado native has cemented himself as the cornerstone of Carolina’s defense. Despite this, Slavin has remained a relative unknown outside of his team’s fanbase.
His performance in last spring’s playoff run helped nudge the spotlight a little further in his direction. On top of that, his steady defensive play has been an integral part of Carolina’s success this season, showing the hockey world something that Hurricanes’ fans have known for years: Jaccob Slavin is the real deal. His selection to replace the injured Dougie Hamilton in the NHL All-Star game is another step in that direction.
The PHWA agrees, honoring Slavin with the Rod Langway Award, one of two non-traditional awards (ie: not an official NHL award) included in their midseason assessment. In winning the Langway, awarded to the defenseman who best excels in the defensive aspect of the game, Slavin beat out Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman and Nashville’s Roman Josi.
Pretty heady company.
The recent addition of the Langway to the PHWA’s list makes sense considering that the NHL’s official best defenseman award, the James Norris Trophy, has largely become a recognition of the best offensive defenseman.
We all know how crucial offensive rearguards are to the game but it creates an imbalance where defensemen who actually excel at defense don’t always receive league-wide recognition.
That, my friends, is a shame.
At the end of the day, this award doesn’t make Slavin a better player than he is. In reality, it changes nothing. All the same, it feels good to see him get praise for the outstanding job that he continues to do on the ice.
Jaccob Slavin: All-Star pic.twitter.com/vZxt9bN2Gw
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 24, 2020
Let’s take a look back at his rookie season. Slavin, then 21, appeared in 63 games, averaging 20:59 minutes of ice time per game, good for third on the team. He posted the third-highest point total (20) of all Hurricanes’ defenders and the fourth-best plus/minus on the team. To top it off, he blocked 119 shots, second only to Ron Hainsey‘s 126.
In each of the next 3 seasons, Slavin led the team in average time on ice and blocked shots, averaging 23:27 and 149 respectively over that span. He also contributed 95 points (21g, 74a), showing that he is capable of chipping in offensively while maintaining his stellar defensive play.
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While he’s only had one trip to the playoffs, Slavin made the most of it during Carolina’s return to the Eastern Conference Finals. In 15 postseason games, he averaged a whopping 26:10 of ice time, leading the team by a wide margin. He chipped in 11 assists, leading the team in that category. Slavin finished second on the team in total points, trailing Sebastian Aho by just one.
What about this season? Good question! Slavin’s 22:48 ATOI is second only to the injured Hamilton and he leads the team with 82 blocks. With his defensive partner out long-term, Slavin, along with the rest of the defense, have an enormous chance to step up even further.
So, thank you, PHWA, for recognizing that Jaccob Slavin is indeed an elite defenseman. No, he’s not the flashiest or the highest scoring. In fact, his game centers on eliminating those things from the opposition and he’s really good at doing that. Ask any Carolina Hurricanes fan and they’ll tell you that he’s the best.
They’re not wrong.
Question for CC readers: Given the trend of the Norris Trophy largely becoming an offensive defenseman’s award, do you think the NHL should adopt the PHWA’s Rod Langway Award to recognize defensive defensemen?