{"id":461914,"date":"2025-02-12T17:26:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T22:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=461914"},"modified":"2025-02-12T17:26:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T22:26:46","slug":"carolina-hurricanes-defence-top-line-slavin-burns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/02\/12\/carolina-hurricanes-defence-top-line-slavin-burns\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes the Carolina Hurricanes Defence So Successful? A Deep-Look into the Top-Line"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whenever the Carolina Hurricanes hit the ice, there are bound to be inconsistencies in each game, as with any team. However, one team component stands out most often as a positive force leading the way to victory. If you haven’t guessed already,<\/span> I am talking about the Carolina Hurricanes defence. All three defensive lines have been <\/span>packing a punch<\/span><\/a>, establishing themselves as some of the best league-wide. However, today, we are putting the top line’s <\/span>Jaccob Slavin<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Brent Burns<\/span><\/a> under the microscope, looking into how they play their games and why they work so well together.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carolina’s Successful Defence<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Left Defenceman<\/span><\/h3>\n

Slavin has been a key player since his first game in the early 2015-16 season. He has consistently proven himself one of the top components for the Carolina Hurricanes defence. He has stood out as one of the NHL’s best shutdown defensemen. Despite the pressure of remaining sturdy in the middle of the fray for his team, he does not lack the confidence needed for his role. “God’s given me the ability to play this game. I go out there with confidence, knowing my identity’s not found in hockey, and have confidence in Christ,” he told <\/span>The Denver Post<\/span><\/a><\/em>. “Plus, it’s just playing my game night in and night out, knowing where my abilities come from.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Slavin was snubbed from the opening night’s roster all those years ago. However, after playing his first NHL game, he didn’t have to set another foot on the ice at Bojangles’ Coliseum. The Hurricanes never returned the defenceman to their then-AHL affiliate, the <\/span>Charlotte Checkers<\/span><\/a>. They liked his highly defensive playstyle, which was apparent in those early games. Spelling out that way of play quickly, he notably blocked 10 shots for goaltenders <\/span>Cam Ward<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Eddie Lack<\/span><\/a> before recording his first NHL career point.<\/span><\/p>\n

With 10 years and 700-plus games in the league, very little has changed in his game. Since entering the NHL, his original standout of not being afraid to pay the price with blocks has continued through the years\u2014now with nearly 2000 to his name. Additionally, since his first season, Slavin has led all defensemen in takeaways, with an astounding 679. As for an underrated statistic, his career further highlights less than 450 giveaways. This puts a significant positive differential of over 220 between taking and giving.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Right Defenceman<\/span><\/h3>\n

At 39 years young and 21 years in the league, it is clear why Burns is regarded as one of the NHL’s best defenceman. Currently, he is the only active defenceman to reach the 900-point mark. Just as impressively, he is also just the 13th blueliner to cross that threshold in NHL history. While his experience speaks volumes, his playing style also has some thunderous things to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

One cannot classify Burns as an <\/span>offensive defenceman<\/span><\/em> or a <\/span>shutdown defenceman<\/span><\/em>. An <\/span>aggressive defenseman<\/span><\/em> may be the closest description of the bearded menace. Whether blocking or making shots, taking or making hits, Burns is a player who always gives his all. Burns is a player who makes the most out of every shift and every opportunity. Ultimately, Burns is a player who does not lack a work ethic. These qualities have certainly left quite the impression on whoever he hits the ice with, especially younger players.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I remember one time, like one of the early years playing with him, I came off the ice, and I was tired, and the coach asked if I was ready to go back out, and I said no. Burns lost it on me, and I’m glad he did,” his former<\/span>\u00a0partner, <\/span>Mario Ferraro<\/span><\/a>, recalled on <\/span>Tank Talk<\/span><\/a><\/em>. “He was like, ‘No, you take every opportunity you can, you can suck it up, right? Breathe; the team needs you out there. Take that opportunity. You never know how long you’re gonna play in this league, right?’ And so, ever since then, that’s kinda really lit a spark in me to just try and take advantage of every moment you have to play in this league and compete every night.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Leader On and Off the Ice<\/h4>\n

Leading by example and not letting up despite his age have defined him recently. His grit in the effort for the best result isn’t lost on his current team, either.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s that professionalism. For me, when you have a guy who’s not that old but is in hockey and athletic terms, he can still play at a high level. But it’s not even that,” head coach <\/span>Rod Brind’Amour<\/span><\/a> said before their game<\/span><\/a> on December 10th. “There’s more preparation time that goes into a game. Just like practice, you must be willing to do all that. And he’s still doing it the same way he’s done it forever. That, to me, is what makes him a special player and what helps our group. When you see that guy preparing every game the same way, I think that’s a big boost for us.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The Carolina Hurricanes Defence Has Been Making Waves League-Wide<\/span><\/h3>\n

The two defensemen are incredible on their own. On the same line, they are explosive, contributing a lot to the Carolina Hurricanes’ defence. Together, they are the top defensive pairing in the league in takeaways, with 71 combined this season. While Slavin has been the aforementioned leader in takeaways among defensemen since his debut season, the man in second is none other than Burns. Ironically, they share the same number of points this season, with 20, and somewhat hilariously, they have<\/span> the same number of goals and assists, with 4 and 16, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their unique play styles are one of the things that stand out the most. It adds further depth to the Carolina Hurricanes’ Defence and contrasts one another significantly. Sometimes jokingly called “the second goalie,” Slavin isn’t afraid to help his netminder by making incredible blocks and clearing pucks. It is no secret that the first position he played in hockey was as a goaltender. Meanwhile, Burns is a whole different animal. More commonly than his partner, he frequently puts pucks on the net while tapping into the forward-like element of the game. It is another aspect that isn’t surprising. After all, he was drafted and played three seasons as a right-wing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last Word on this Story<\/span><\/h3>\n

Going into the 4 Nations Face-Off break, it’s clear why these two are one of the premier defensive pairings league-wide and <\/span>why Slavin has his place on Team USA’s roster<\/span><\/a>. The time off will give the Carolina Hurricanes a wholesome good time to recharge, while those selected for the tournament will likely come back as electric as ever after their time on the world stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, how much longer we can watch this defensive dynamic duo is unclear. Slavin will be around for a while <\/span>after inking an eight-year extension over the summer<\/span><\/a>. But there remains uncertainty with his D-Partner. Burns will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, with 26 games left in the regular season, it is best to leave the off-season in the off-season. All three of the Hurricanes’ D-teams have looked sharp this season, so there is certainly more to look forward to with the three pairings once the 4 Nations Face-Off has concluded and we return to 32-team hockey.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: James Guillory- Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whenever the Carolina Hurricanes hit the ice, there are bound to be inconsistencies in each game, as with any team. However, one team component stands out most often as a positive force leading the way to victory. If you haven’t guessed already, I am talking about the Carolina Hurricanes defence. All three defensive lines have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5358,"featured_media":462455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[333,2052,1807,2286],"class_list":["post-461914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hurricanes","tag-brent-burns","tag-jaccob-slavin","tag-mario-ferraro","tag-rod-brindamour"],"modified_by":"Andrew Willis","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5358"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461914"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":462456,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461914\/revisions\/462456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}