It has been a trying campaign for Jaccob Slavin, through no fault of his own. Injuries have played a big part in the Carolina Hurricanes' season, and their star defenseman is front and center in that regard. Slavin has only dressed for seven of the team's 47 contests to this point, with Tuesday night's scratch coming as little surprise.
Slavin suffered a lower-body injury during the second game of the season, keeping him off the ice for key shifts in the third period and overtime in a win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The extent of the injury was kept under wraps, but it must've been very serious to keep him out for the length of time that it did.
He returned to the lineup two months later, suiting up for the second half of a home-and-home against the Flyers on December 14. Five days later, in Sunrise, Slavin took a dirty hit into the boards from AJ Greer. While he was scheduled to be out of the lineup for the following night's game in Tampa, Slavin's absence lasted nearly a month, this time with an upper-body concern.
With his second return to the lineup against the Kraken on Saturday, it feels like we're finally starting to move in the right direction again. However, there were definite signs of rust for Slavin in both outings against Seattle and Detroit. He was walked by Matty Beniers over the weekend, and he took an uncharacteristic stick penalty on his first shift in Detroit, leading to a power-play goal.
There were still some good moments in those games, too. Slavin recorded his 300th point in the win over the Kraken, with his shot hitting William Carrier's skate late in regulation on the game-winning goal. Slavin was also a big part of the comeback effort against the Red Wings, especially on the defensive side during the third period.
Getting Slavin back to 100 percent has always been the goal and keeping him out of the lineup during back-to-backs is probably the best way to do it, outside of resting him until April. Ensuring he's healthy-enough to participate in the Olympics is secondary, but he figures to be a big part of Americans' game when he represents the United States next month in Italy.
The Hurricanes play two sets of back-to-backs between now and the Olympic pause. This weekend, they face the Panthers and the Devils. Their next set isn't until January 31 and February 1, when the Canes are in Washington D.C. and at home against the Kings. Assuming he's still avoiding back-to-backs at that point, I'd bet we'll see him against the Panthers and the Capitals on those occasions.
Throughout this entire ordeal, my steadfast belief is that having Jaccob Slavin completely healthy is more valuable to the team in April and May than it is any time before then. At the slightest sign of discomfort, I would do what everyone else in the league does and rest him until right before the playoffs start. We need him ready to go when the lights are the brightest.