Is Slater playing well enough for second pairing? He was never given a fair chance in TB.

He hasn't been bad, I would definitely say he's one of our best six defensemen. He's been on a rotation with Dahlstrom and Forsling basically playing 2 games then getting scratched. In terms of playing top 4 minutes, Colliton has been leaning heavily on Keith, Gustafsson, and Murphy to play heavy 5v5 minutes with Seabrook playing on the kill and powerplay. The pairings have really been a blender in terms of who is playing with who. I like the kid though, I think the Hawks will keep him around next year.

Many TB fans were confused as to why he sat. Strong skater, can move the puck, decent scorer. He needs to add some muscle. Hope he does well, he took being benched very well.

Sometimes he tries to do too much and ends up making costly mistakes. I think that's his biggest knock. But great skater and good IQ, could just use some more time to develop in his own end.