Slavin returns, shaking off rust with key defensive plays. Limited minutes, but his impact is felt as the Hurricanes welcome back a vital defenseman.
The Carolina Hurricanes certainly got a boost to their lineup Sunday night as star defenseman Jaccob Slavin returned to action after 29 games on the shelf with a lower-body injury.
"It was fun," Slavin said on getting back into game action. "It's good to be back out there playing. Sometimes being injured is almost harder than the grind of the season, but just thankful. All in God's timing and I've trusted in that the whole time and through the recovery process."
The Hurricanes certainly took their time with Slavin, whose injury was essentially the same thing that had kept him out in the preseason per the blueliner, as it was important to the team that he was 100% healthy and ready to go for the rest of the season.
However, Slavin said that this was a date that he and the team had circled on the calendar.
"We kind of had this date circled for a while, just making sure because it's a long season," Slavin said. "So just wanted to make sure I was good to go and wasn't going to have any flareups. Just had a good plan in place."
According to Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour, the plan going into the game then was also for Slavin to play limited minutes, something that he described as "hard to do."
Over his career, Slavin has averaged north of 22 minutes a night, but Sunday night, he played fewer than 15.
"It's hard playing that little," Slavin said.
The 31-year-old star was paired alongside rookie blueliner Alexander Nikishin, perhaps a glimpse into a future many Hurricanes fans are hoping to see.
But Brind'Amour stated that the move was more so in line with the organization wanting Slavin to play limited minutes and so having him on that third pairing would help accomplish that goal.
In his limited minutes, Slavin still did his fair share of the heavy lifting he's used to with three blocked shots and multiple disrupted passes.
"My style's not very flashy, so it's pretty easy to get back to it," Slavin said. "A couple of missed clears on the PK there though, so I'm knocking off some rust, for sure, but our system makes it really easy. Guys are helping out all over the ice. Coming back wasn't too hard, just have to make sure you're in game shape. Our training staff did a great job keeping me in shape and getting me ready for today. It was a process, but coming back, for me, it was just about going out there, continuing to work hard and continuing to glorify God."
"It was great to have him back," said goaltender Brandon Bussi. "You could see just kind of that calmness that he brings. He's a reliable stick. We've missed him and it was great to have him back."
The Hurricanes have a three-game road trip coming up, so it will be interesting to see how the Canes' coaching staff continue to ramp up Slavin and when he'll actually be truly ready to go in full with no more training wheels attached.
As not only the team's number one defenseman, but also one of the league's best, they'll certainly need him.
"It's been a long time without him and so it's nice to get him back,' Brind'Amour said. "Hopefully he'll get up to speed here in the near future."
'Once You Feel Confident In A Goalie, The Game Comes Easy': Jaccob Slavin, Brandon Bussi, Andrei Svechnikov, Rod Brind'Amour On Another Shootout Win
Slavin returns, Bussi shines, and Svechnikov clinches another shootout victory as the Hurricanes continue their winning streak.
Recent Articles
10 Questions with Carolina Hurricanes Defenseman K'Andre Miller
New Look, Same Swagger: Nikolaj Ehlers Fitting In Perfectly With Carolina Hurricanes
A Perfect Storm: Hurricanes Rookie Defenseman Joel Nystrom Making Most Of Opportunity
Hurricanes Rookie Goaltender Brandon Bussi Chasing NHL History On Unfathomable Start
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.