Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin is the 2023-24 recipient of the Lady Byng Trophy, given to the player who is best “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” Slavin beat out Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews and Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson for the award.
This is Slavin’s second-ever Lady Byng Trophy win. He last won in 2020-21. Since the 2019-20 season, Slavin hasn’t finished lower than fourth in voting for the award and was recognized as a nominee following the 2021-22 campaign.
Slavin scored six goals and 37 points in 81 games this past year in Carolina along with eight penalty minutes for the entire season. Slavin has had eight or fewer penalty minutes in four of his nine NHL seasons. The most penalty minutes he’s ever recorded in a season was 18, back in the 2018-19 season.
The Colorado native finished with his team’s third-highest plus/minus rating (+21), only trailing forwards Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. Slavin also averaged the third-highest ice time of any Hurricanes skater (20:56), just behind Brent Burns and Brady Skjei. Slavin also became the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers’ franchise’s all-time leading scorer among defensemen this past year (49 goals, 272 points).
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(Top photo of Jaccob Slavin: Josh Lavallee / NHLI via Getty Images)
