NHL free agent frenzy is earning its name this July 1, with over 85 signings since the official period opened at 12 pm ET. And the Carolina Hurricanes are in the thick of things, locking up franchise defenseman Jaccob Slavin on an eight-year, $51 million contract extension.

The 30-year-old will play out the final season of his $37.1 million contract in 2023-24 before the new deal kicks in, which will see Slavin make $6.46 million per year, a raise from his current $5.3 million AAV.

“We've definitely made a life, made a family here,” Slavin said recently, per NHL.com's Kurt Dusterberg. “We're extremely happy about being here, and now with the length of this deal, being able to be here my whole career. Obviously, I love this organization and I love this city, the coaching staff, management, everything. Obviously, I would love to win a Stanley Cup one day, and that's a huge part of it, being on a good team. That's what I have the opportunity to do with this team, with this organization.”

The Hurricanes have come close in Slavin's tenure, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final in 2023 and 2019. But the club was swept both times, and remains without a Stanley Cup championship since 2006.

Slavin will now look to help the squad get over the hump sometime in the next eight years; he was set to become an unrestricted free agent in July of 2025.

“Having really good leadership here is one reason for it,” Slavin said of extending in Raleigh, “but then you look at the community and how this organization is a part of it. That's what makes it easy to make the decision to stay here forever.”

Jaccob Slavin is a Hurricanes lifer 

Slavin remains one of the top defensemen in the National Hockey League, with elite defensive metrics and the ability to chip in on the offensive side of the puck as well. He's anchored this blue line for nearly a decade, and that will continue long into the future.

“Jaccob might be the best defender in the NHL, and he has already cemented himself as one of the best players to ever put on a Hurricanes uniform,” Canes general manager Eric Tulsky said in the official release. “He is a crucial leader for our team, both on and off the ice, and keeping him in Carolina long term was a top priority.”

Slavin scored six goals and 37 points over 81 games in Raleigh in 2023-24, and was third on the team in ice time per game with 20:56. He was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy at the NHL Awards, given to the player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

The Colorado native took just four minor penalties last season, and ranked “first in the NHL in ice time per game among the 35 skaters to play at least 50 games and have 10 penalty minutes or fewer,” per Dusterberg.

Slavin was selected No. 120 overall by the Hurricanes in the 2012 NHL Draft, and has 272 points over 665 regular-season games. With the new contract signed, he can remain focused on Carolina's quest to bring a Stanley Cup back to Raleigh for the first time in nearly two decades.