Stanley Cup winning D-man delivers a "checkmate" statement in Biz's controversial argument about Hurricanes' lack of No. 1 defenseman

Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Chris Pronger has given his opinion on Paul Bissonnette's controversial take about the Carolina Hurricanes lacking a No. 1 defenseman.

On an episode of Jeff Marek's "The Sheet Show," Bissonnette claimed that the Hurricanes don't have a true top-tier defenseman. He later drew comparisons between the Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin and the Toronto Maple Leafs' Chris Tanev.

Biz took to X (formerly Twitter) and suggested that if Slavin is viewed as a top defenseman, then Tanev's stats are close enough to warrant a similar ranking.

"I mean if Slavin gets a number 1 D tag Tanev’s numbers aren’t that far off so I would say he’s also a number 1. He’s playing top lines all night and strong on the PK and eats pucks. He ain’t running your PP but who gives a f*ck right. Let em rest," Bissonnette wrote on X.

In response, Pronger delivered what he described as a "checkmate" statement, challenging Bissonnette's assessment.

"Biz you just got bullied into saying these guys are #1 defenseman!! Come on bro. Their skillset and ability falls into the #2 category. Which are incredibly valuable players btw. If by chance these gents were #1’s then there cap hits would say so. Checkmate!" Pronger responded.

Paul Bissonnette later acknowledged that he made an error in his earlier comments on the show regarding Carolina's defenseman and admitted that Jaccob Slavin is indeed a No. 1 defenseman right now.

Bissonnette also clarified that some might define a top defenseman by their ability to contribute offensively on power plays as well as defensively. Slavin's prowess in shutting down opponents is more than sufficient to earn him that tag.

Hurricanes coach commented on what made Mikko Rantanen leave Carolina

After weeks of uncertainty about Mikko Rantanen's future in Carolina, the Hurricanes traded him to the Dallas Stars on the trade deadline day, eventually signing an eight-year, $96 million contract.

Rantanen played 13 games with the Hurricanes. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour explained the reasons behind Rantanen's decision to not stay with the club.

“When (Rantanen) showed up he said ‘there’s 4 teams I’ll go play for, and you’re not one of them. There hasn’t been one guy that’s left because they didn’t like it here, except for Mikko [Rantanen]. He didn’t like it here. There was 28 other teams he wasn’t going to," Brind'Amour said via The Adam Gold Show.

After a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, Carolina sits second in the Metro Division with 82 points after 65 games.