On May 30, the NHL announced that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin is the 2023-2024 recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The award is given to the player yearly, exhibiting “sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct with a high standard of play.” The other two finalists for the season were Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews and Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson. Slavin is the only player in Whalers/Hurricanes history to be nominated for the award multiple times, and is the second player in franchise history to win. Slavin has been a finalist for the award three times.
Slavin is the second defenseman in NHL history to win the award twice. He previously won in 2021. He is also the second American-born player to win the award multiple times.
With the third-most minutes of ice time on a Carolina defense that made its sixth consecutive playoff run, third consecutive 110-point season, and allowed the fourth-fewest amount of goals in the NHL this season, Slavin became the Whalers/Hurricanes defense leader in assists and points. This season, Slavin only had eight minutes of penalty time.
The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA), has ballots released to the public yearly. This year, Slavin was in the top two on more than half the ballots. Pettersson is the 2023-2024 runner-up.
ITR 26: 2 Nations Fighting – Inside The Rink
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