The New Jersey Devils are reportedly finalizing a deal with right-handed defenseman Brett Pesce, which will come out to a six-year contract worth $5.5 million each season per Chris Johnston. He was a veteran of the Carolina Hurricanes for nine seasons—this is the first new home of his NHL career.
Pesce has been consistently used as a second-pairing defenseman for the Hurricanes, being so once again in 2023-24 when he averaged 20:17 of ice time—he scored 13 points in 70 games along with that. What is there to know about this signing?
What Pesce Can Bring
Based on his Microstats for the 2023-24 season, Pesce was fairly good for what was being asked of him. Preventing scoring chances was a strong suit of his, as was his in-zone offense. He was utilized quite often on the penalty kill with 163 minutes shorthanded, and was great there, as well—he only allowed 12 goals in that time.
At 29 years old, the 6-foot-3, 206-pound defenseman is in no danger of hitting a wall anytime soon. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in a completely new system, but he has what it takes to be an above-average second-pairing defenseman for a little while longer. Pesce is the type of player that teams love to have in the playoffs, which is a big factor to consider with him.
Related: 2024 Free Agency Tracker
While Pesce might not be the flashiest name, he is the type of player that helps to round out a defense. There doesn’t appear to be a ton of upside with him, but he is still very much in his prime and should continue to play like such for the foreseeable future.
Fit with New Jersey
As of now, the Devils’ long-term defensive core seems to consist of Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Jonas Siegenthaler, Anton Silayev at some point, and now Pesce—all of them have at least four years on their contracts or are restricted free agents (RFAs) when their deal ends. On paper, this is a pretty stacked group to have for a long period of time, especially coupled with an elite offense and Jacob Markstrom in goal.
While Pesce’s average annual value (AAV) is somewhat sizable, the Devils are one of the best teams in the NHL at signing their stars for cheap. With their most expensive player being Hamilton at $9 million AAV, they could afford to make a splash like this.
The Devils should be as much of a Stanley Cup contender in 2024-25 as anyone. They missed the playoffs last season, but they seem poised to change that now. Pesce was smart to join one of the NHL’s up-and-coming teams.
