Jaccob Slavin

Slavin flew under the radar for a little while, but he is now firmly entrenched as one of the most valuable defenders in the NHL. The Colorado native is fresh off a season in which he won The Lady Byng Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player. Slavin averaged 22:59 of ice time per game and managed to take exactly one minor penalty all season. He also finished with 15 points, 87 blocks and a plus-22 rating. Slavin can be ignored in fantasy leagues which primarily value scoring, but he makes for a late-round pick in formats which place an emphasis on time on ice, plus-minus rating and blocks.

Slavin had one of his best seasons yet in 2019-20, notching six goals while setting new personal-bests in assists (30) and plus-minus rating (plus-30) in just 68 games due to the NHL's shortened regular season. The 26-year-old blueliner averaged a whopping 23:24 of total ice time while skating on the Hurricanes' top pairing last season, and was deployed in all situations, averaging 3:06 of ice time as a penalty-killer and 0:55 of ice time with the man advantage on a nightly basis. He's essentially a lock for at least eight goals, 25 assists, 145 shots and 130 blocks over the course of a full season at this stage in his career, making Slavin an attractive third or fourth option at defense in the mid-to-late rounds of this year's fantasy drafts.

Slavin has been incredibly consistent since locking down a full-time NHL role, dressing for every game over the past three seasons while posting between 30 and 34 points in each campaign. He plays difficult minutes on the top pairing against the opposition's top players, which is great for Slavin's ice time (23:02 last season) but keeps his rating close to even. Slavin's five power-play goals last season were an aberration considering he has just one over the rest of his career, and asking him to break double-digit power-play points is wishful thinking. Still, Slavin's well-rounded game can make him a valuable commodity for owners who fill offensive needs elsewhere, and he's averaged just a hair under 150 blocks per season over the past three seasons.

Slavin once again spent last season skating with Brett Pesce as the Hurricanes' primary shutdown defensive pair. The former finished the season with 30 points and a neutral plus-minus rating – not a bad result when you're playing against other teams' top players on a nightly basis. Slavin even managed to increase his shot total to 154 from just 99 the season before, all the while maintaining his peripheral defensive stats (47 hits, 154 blocked shots). Looking ahead, the Canes shook up their roster in June, bringing in Dougie Hamilton from Calgary; he is expected to take over for Justin Faulk as the team's top offensive blueliner. This means you could see Slavin even more focused on his defensive responsibilities, so don't be surprised if he fails to reach the 30-point plateau in 2018-19.

Following a respectable 20-point rookie season in 2015-16, Slavin took a sizeable step forward last year with 34 points, including five goals and 29 assists. Perhaps more importantly, he also led the team with a plus-23 rating, 161 blocked shots, 83 takeaways and an average ice time of over 23 minutes. This prompted the Hurricanes to lock him up long-term with a seven-year, $37 million contract extension in July, which will take effect after this upcoming season once his entry-level deal expires. An off-the-radar fourth round pick in 2012, the Hurricanes continue to view the 22-year-old as the nucleus of the team’s defense corps along with fellow youngsters Brett Pesce (22), Noah Hanifin (20) and All-Star Justin Faulk (24). From a fantasy perspective, Slavin may not deliver eye-popping offensive totals (at least yet), but he does deliver multi-category consideration in any league that rewards for peripheral stats.

The 21-year-old Slavin enjoyed a terrific rookie season in 2015-16, joining fellow first-year men Noah Hanifin and Brett Pesce on the NHL's least experienced blue line. For his part, Slavin saw a ton of ice time, ranking third on the team with an average of 20:59, behind only Justin Faulk (24:02) and Ron Hainsey (22:19). He also registered 20 points, good for fifth in the league among rookie blueliners. Slavin is expected to reprise his role on one of the Canes’ top pairings this upcoming season, and he should only get better as his NHL career progresses. Don’t be afraid to grab him in the middle to later rounds of your draft.