In an offseason that has largely been about making moves for the present to end the team’s eight-year playoff drought, general manager Ron Francis and the Carolina Hurricanes made a move to secure a piece of the team’s future Wednesday.
The Canes signed defenseman Jaccob Slavin, coming off a year in which he set career highs in goals (five), assists (29) and points (34), to a seven-year contract extension worth $5.3 million per season, keeping him in Raleigh through 2025.
“We think Jaccob is one of the best young defensemen in the National Hockey League,” Francis said. “We think he has tremendous upside, in addition to that, we think he’s part of one of the best young defense cores in the game, if not the best.
“In addition to that, he’s also a man of extreme character and both he and his wife, Kylie do an awful lot in the community already at their young age. I know that will continue, so we are thrilled to have him as part of our organization moving forward. I’m sure our fans are going to be excited to see him in a Canes jersey for years to come.”
Slavin has made a rapid progression since breaking in as a rookie in the 2015-16 season. Last year in particular, he grew the offensive side of his game, while continuing to thrive defensively. He matched up against the opposition’s top players on a nightly basis, and thrived doing so. While plus/minus is often a much-maligned stat, Slavin’s +23 rating is even more impressive when considering the tough minutes and matchups he faced, and that he was one of three players on Carolina with a plus rating.
While those in Carolina are well aware of Slavin’s value, league-wide acclaim has been slower to come (though he did garner two fifth-place Norris Trophy votes for last season). That’s just fine with him.
“League-wide notice to me doesn’t really matter,” Slavin said. “I’m just going to continue to play my game and continue to try to help the team win the best that I can, so the notoriety, for me, it doesn’t get in my head or doesn’t really matter for me too much. I just continue to keep chugging along.”
Slavin will again be a key piece for the Canes next season, on a team with higher expectations coming off a busy offseason. The additions of goaltender Scott Darling, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Kruger and Josh Jooris certainly factored in to Slavin’s decision to commit long term to a team ready to contend for a playoff spot.
“The moves that Ron has made over the past couple months have been unbelievable, and it just gets me really excited to be a part of this future and be here in Raleigh with this organization for the next eight years,” Slavin said. “I’m really excited for the season to start, and I think all the moves are just trending in the right direction.”
With Slavin slated to hit restricted free agency next summer, the team certainly could have waited on this decision, and was under no pressure to get a deal done this offseason. Francis, however, knew he wanted Slavin locked in, and moved early to make it happen.
“We could have waited, but I think when you look at the type of player he is and type of person he is, it’s something we want in our organization,” Francis said. “We reached out to Jaccob and his agent [Kurt Overhardt] to start the conversations, and it moved along fairly well. We were able to get it resolved today.”
Slavin hails from Colorado, and played college hockey at Colorado College. While it is far from their original home and family in the Rocky Mountain State, the 23-year-old blueliner and his wife, Kylie, have quickly made a second home in the City of Oaks.
“We love it here, and we’ve definitely made it a home ever since we first got out here,” Slavin said. “The people we’ve met through the church, and just all the friends that we’ve made out here; we definitely have family out here now as well. It’s been awesome. That definitely helped make the decision real easy.”
Just two years ago, Slavin had just wrapped up his sophomore season at Colorado College, and was faced with a decision: return to school or turn pro. He opted to sign his entry-level deal with the Canes. Fast forward to this week, and he’s signed a deal that will pay him just a shade over $37 million when it wraps up.
“It’s definitely really interesting to see how that worked out,” Slavin said. “My college buddies graduated from CC this year. Thinking I could have been graduating this year, versus where we are now, it’s pretty surreal to look at it that way. We’re extremely excited to be here.”
One of the few things Slavin has not done in his two years with the Canes so far is wear a letter on the front of his jersey. That does not mean he hasn’t been a leader, but he could now be ready to find his way into the official leadership core of the team. Slavin is definitely a candidate for Carolina’s captaincy position, vacant since forward Eric Staal was traded at the 2016 trade deadline, or at the very least an alternate spot. Whether he gets a letter or not, however, Slavin is ready to help lead this team forward.
“Letter or no letter, it doesn’t matter, I’m going the be the person I am and that God created me to be,” Slavin said. “Leadership-wise on and off the ice, I don’t think that’s going to change the way I play or change the way I am in the locker room, the presence that I carry. I want to contribute as a leader and be a leader on and off the ice for this team for a long time.”
With Slavin locked in long-term to help lead the young nucleus Francis has built in his three seasons as general manager, the Canes should be ready to compete not just now, but for years to come.
