On Thursday, May 30, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin was named the recipient of the 2024 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The award is given “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” This is the second time Slavin has won the award, having also won it in 2020-21, and finishing second in 2021-22. He matches New York City native Joe Mullen (two times) as the second U.S.-born player to win the trophy multiple times. He also joins Red Kelly as the second defenseman to win it at least twice.
Slavin logged the third-most minutes (1,695:29) and third-highest plus/minus (plus-21) for a Hurricanes defense that allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the league en route to their third straight 110-point season and sixth consecutive playoff berth. He finished third in defense scoring with six goals and 37 points in 81 games, surpassing Dave Babych (Nov. 11 at Tampa Bay) and Justin Faulk (March 10 vs. Calgary) to become the franchise’s all-time leader in assists and points, respectively, by a defenseman (49 goals and 272 points in 665 games). He did so while also ranking second among blueliners with 71 takeaways and only eight total penalty minutes – the fewest among the NHL’s 81 skaters who played at least 1,600 minutes in 2023-24.
In early May, Slavin was named a finalist for the trophy along with Vancouver Canucks Elias Pettersson and Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews. Pettersson finished second in the voting with 508 points, while Matthews finished third with 506. Slavin, meanwhile, got 1,174 points with 81 first-place votes.
