Jaccob Slavin

July 1: Slavin’s extension today will be an eight-year deal with a cap hit of $6.43MM, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports.

June 14: A large slate of pending free agents still plagues Hurricanes interim general manager Eric Tulsky’s to-do list over the next few weeks, but as previously reported, it’s not the organization’s only top priority. The team has all but agreed to terms on an extension for defenseman Jaccob Slavin, which should be announced promptly when he becomes eligible to sign on July 1, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

Slavin, 30, is entering the final season of a bargain-bin seven-year, $5.3MM AAV extension inked back in 2017.

It’s no surprise to see Carolina aggressively try to retain arguably their most consistent blue liner of the past decade amid an offseason of change that could see them lose both members of their second pairing, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, to unrestricted free agency. They’ve been discussing the framework of a deal for at least the past few weeks, per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. The 6’3″ Colorado native would have been one of the top targets available on the UFA market in 2025 if he remained unsigned.

Slavin, who has finished top 20 in Norris Trophy voting for seven years in a row, has spent his entire career in Raleigh since being drafted by the Canes in the fourth round in 2012. Not only does getting an extension out of the way early quell any rumors of the franchise cornerstone leaving next summer, but it also provides them with an increased deal of cost certainty as the salary cap increases in 2025 and beyond.

It’s a stark contrast to their situation this summer, where nine everyday players are still pending free agents. They still have nearly $24MM in cap space to burn after inking defenseman Jalen Chatfield to an extension, which will likely all be used up as they navigate losing and replacing some top-of-the-lineup skaters.

The extension comes after a bit of an odd platform year for Slavin. After years of being the club’s de facto top-pairing anchor by ice time, head coach Rod Brind’Amour rolled three pairings almost equally at even strength after offseason signing Dmitry Orlov gave them five arguably top-pairing talents on the roster. With Orlov also taking away some special teams usage from Slavin, his ice time dipped to 20:56 per game, the lowest of his career.

That didn’t stop his offensive production from rebounding from last season’s disappointing figures, though. Slavin recorded 31 assists and 37 points, the second-most in a single season in his career. The Canes also controlled more than 60% of shot attempts with Slavin on the ice at even strength for the second year in a row.

Slavin served as part of Carolina’s leadership group last season along with Jordan Martinook and captain Jordan Staal. He and Chatfield will be the only defenders under contract for the 2025-26 season as the Canes look to build out their defense of the future.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

While the Hurricanes still have many pending UFAs to juggle this offseason, they’ve already turned their attention to 2025 and beyond. High on their list of priorities is getting number-one defenseman Jaccob Slavin signed to an extension shortly after becoming eligible on July 1, and The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports those talks have already started.

Slavin, 30, is entering the final season of a seven-year, $37.1MM extension signed by former general manager Ron Francis in July 2017. He costs only $5.3MM against the cap, a bargain price for a player who finished top 10 in Norris Trophy voting twice since 2020.

Unfathomably, Slavin saw the lowest usage of his NHL career in 2023-24. After Carolina stocked up their already elite blue line with the addition of Dmitry Orlov in free agency last summer, head coach Rod Brind’Amour utilized his three pairings roughly equally, leading to an ice time reduction of more than a minute per game. His 20:56 average checked in three seconds fewer than his previous career-low, set during his rookie season in 2015-16.

That didn’t stop him from remaining one of the best possession-control defenders in the league. His 37 points in 81 games this year were the second-most of his career, and he logged an expected rating north of +10 for the fifth time in the last six seasons. With Slavin on the ice at even strength this season, the Hurricanes controlled 56.2% of expected goals and 60.2% of shot attempts, the latter of which was a career-high.

The 6’3″, 207-lb defender would be one of the top defenders available in free agency in the summer of 2025, but the chances of him reaching the open market are infinitesimal. With the Hurricanes seemingly more aggressive about extending him than pending UFAs Jake Guentzel, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, it even seems unlikely he’ll remain without a new deal past next month.

There’s good news for Hurricanes interim GM Eric Tulsky as he navigates negotiations – comparables for Slavin don’t favor a premium price tag on a long-term deal. In fact, Evolving Hockey projects a $6.5MM cap hit on a seven-year extension for Slavin if signed next month, and while his market value will likely push the final number a bit higher, it’s a reasonable price to pay, especially considering the deal could very well present a negative value proposition as he enters his mid-to-late 30s.

All three of the Hurricanes’ defenders currently signed to one-way deals next season – Slavin, Orlov and Brent Burns – are all set for UFA status in the summer of 2025.