Slavin, 28, tallied 42 points (4g, 38a) in 79 regular-season games in 2021-22, establishing new single-season career highs in assists, points, plus/minus (+35) and even-strength points (33). His 38 assists marked the third-highest single-season total by any Hurricanes defenseman since relocation, and his +35 rating ranked tied for eighth among all NHL blueliners. The 6'3", 213-pound defenseman also logged a team- and career-high 23:32 of ice time per game and ranked tied for third among NHL blueliners in takeaways (74) while accumulating just 10 penalty minutes. He also logged the third-most shorthanded ice time per game (3:14) of any NHL skater, anchoring the league's top-ranked penalty kill (88.0%). Since debuting in 2015-16, Slavin has led all NHL defensemen in takeaways (379) while being assessed the fewest penalty minutes of any blueliner playing at least 350 games over that span. Among all defensemen with at least 300 career games played, his 0:08 of penalty minutes per game is the second-lowest mark in NHL history behind only Bill Quackenbush (1942-56: 0:07), who was a two-time Lady Byng Trophy finalist and won the award with Detroit in 1948-49.
Slavin recorded eight points (2g, 6a) during the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which ranked tied for the team high and trailed only his own performance in the 2019 First Round (9a) for the most points by any Whalers/Hurricanes defenseman in a single playoff series. He also led the league in takeaways (15), ranked tied for the league lead in plus/minus (+10) and paced all NHL defensemen in even-strength points (7). The Erie, Colo., native was assessed his first career playoff penalty in Game 6 at Boston, ending the longest career-opening streak of postseason games without a penalty by any defenseman in NHL history (36 games).
Slavin is the first two-time Lady Byng Trophy finalist in franchise history after joining Ron Francis (2001-02) as the second Whalers/Hurricanes player to win the award last season. He is the fourth defenseman in NHL history to be named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy in multiple seasons, joining Red Kelly (7), Nicklas Lidstrom (6) and Bill Quackenbush (2). The other two finalists for the 2021-22 Lady Byng Trophy are Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor and Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon. The winner will be announced during the Conference Finals or Stanley Cup Final, with exact date and time to be determined. Slavin and Spurgeon, who were both finalists for the award last season, are the fourth and fifth defensemen in NHL history to be named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy in multiple seasons, joining Red Kelly (7), Nicklas Lidstrom (6) and Bill Quackenbush (2). Slavin is the first two-time Lady Byng Trophy finalist in franchise history after joining Ron Francis (2001-02) as the second Whalers/Hurricanes player to win the award last season.
