NEW YORK — Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin won the NHL’s Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct for the second time Thursday.
Also the 2021 winner, he’s the second blueliner to win it twice, joining Red Kelly, who was a four-time winner, with three coming as a defenseman. From Denver, Slavvin joins Joe Mullen in being the second U.S.-born player to win the Lady Byng award twice.
Slavin was the runaway winner this year in being named on 149 of 194 ballots, with 81 first-place votes, submitted by members of Professional Hockey Writers Association. Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson finished second, followed by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews.
The 30-year-old Slavin was assessed just eight penalty minutes, the fewest among 81 NHL players who logged at least 1,600 minutes of ice time, and finished second among defenseman with 71 takeaways. He also had a plus-21 plus-minus rating on a Hurricanes team that allowed 216 goals, the fourth-fewest in the league this season.
Slavin had six goals and 31 assists for 37 points in 81 games this season in becoming the franchise career leader among defenseman with 223 assists and 272 points in 665 games.