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Brett Pesce

East Notes: Pesce, Hatakka, Sogaard, Zub, Postponement

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Devils defenseman Brett Pesce still has not yet been cleared to play as he works his way back from offseason surgery, relays team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link).  New Jersey’s top free agent signing underwent fibula surgery to repair an injury sustained in the spring in the playoffs for Carolina.  Their game tonight was their final one before the main team travels to Prague this weekend for their upcoming Global Series games against Buffalo.  While New Jersey still has three preseason games remaining, those will be contested by their farm team and PTO players.  That means Pesce won’t have a chance to see any preseason action before the season gets underway unless they keep him off the road trip to start the season.

More from the East:

  • Stein also noted that blueliner Santeri Hatakka is dealing with something that has him classified as out longer than day-to-day but he is still being evaluated to determine the exact seriousness. The 23-year-old spent most of last season with AHL Utica where he had 20 points in 48 games but also got into 12 games with the Devils, collecting two assists in a little under 15 minutes a night.  Because of the NHL time last season, Hatakka will have a prorated cap charge relative to the percentage of days spent in New Jersey’s roster in 2023-24 if he starts the year on season-opening IR.  That would work out to roughly 15% of his $775K AAV.
  • Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard is dealing with a light strain which will keep him out for another week, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Sogaard is likely to begin the season as Ottawa’s third-string netminder but this will be his final year of waiver exemption.  Meanwhile, Garrioch adds that blueliner Artem Zub is expected to return in the coming days after suffering a lower-body injury earlier this week.
  • The Lightning announced that tonight’s game between them and the Predators was postponed with the region still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Instead of simply not playing the game, they will make it up on October 7th.  Nashville’s regular season doesn’t start until the 10th while Tampa Bay’s kicks off one day later so the late preseason matchup shouldn’t be an issue for either side.

Devils Notes: Pesce, Mercer, Haula, Nemec

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New Devils defenseman Brett Pesce is still recovering from season-ending surgery and isn’t on the ice with his teammates as training camp begins, the team’s Amanda Stein relays.

Pesce, 29, is listed as week-to-week. That designation doubts his availability for the Devils’ season opener, their Global Series matchup against the Sabres in Prague on Oct. 4.

The former Hurricane underwent surgery to repair a fibula fracture he sustained in Game 2 of last year’s First Round series against the Islanders. He reached unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer, signing a six-year, $33MM contract with New Jersey on July 1.

Pesce is coming off the worst offensive season of his career, having been limited to 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 70 contests. His 20:17 ATOI was also his lowest since his rookie season in Carolina.

His usage likely won’t improve much in a second-pairing role behind Dougie Hamilton on New Jersey’s right side, nor will there be any power-play opportunity for him with Luke Hughes also in the picture. However, the strong skater and cerebral defender has a +92 rating in 627 career contests and has controlled over 50% of expected goals at even strength for four seasons in a row.

More from the Devils as training camp gets underway:

  • Unsigned restricted free agent Dawson Mercer remains away from his teammates, but general manager Tom Fitzgerald doesn’t expect his absence to stretch out much longer. Fitzgerald told reporters Thursday, including James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, that he thinks “we’re really close” to an agreement being finalized. Contract negotiations have been on the front burner for over a month as the sides work toward a likely short-term pact, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said a couple of weeks back.
  • Center Erik Haula was absent from practice Thursday with an undisclosed illness, per Stein. It’s not a cause for concern this early in camp with the Devils’ first preseason game, which will likely be thin on veterans, still three days away. Haula has been a solid middle-six presence since being acquired from the Bruins in the 2022 offseason, logging 76 points in 156 games as a Devil while averaging 16:45 per night and winning 54.5% of his draws.
  • Rising sophomore defenseman Simon Nemec has full medical clearance after sustaining an injury while suiting up in an Olympic qualifier game for his native Slovakia late last month, Fitzgerald said (via Nichols). The second overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft didn’t crack New Jersey’s opening night roster last season but quickly worked his way up the depth chart, making 60 appearances in his rookie year while finishing 14th in Calder Trophy voting. The right-shot defender projects to start the season in a third-pairing role behind Hamilton in Pesce after posting 19 points and a -7 rating with strong possession quality numbers in fringe top-four minutes in 2023-24.

Devils Sign Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon

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10:44 a.m.: It’s a three-year deal for Dillon, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports. NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky confirms it carries a $4MM cap hit.

9:17 a.m.: The Devils are expected to agree to terms on a deal for UFA defenseman Brett Pesce, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, who reports that the top-four stalwart will ink a six-year, $33MM contract ($5.5MM cap hit). They’re also expected to add veteran left-shot blue liner Brenden Dillon, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.

There had been rumblings leading up to free agency that Pesce was the Devils’ top target on the back end, and it appears they’re getting their man. It was clear they were gearing up for a move, especially on the right side, after they traded away John Marino and his $4.4MM cap hit to Utah on Saturday. The Maple Leafs and Predators were also expected to be top suitors for Pesce, but the former likely took themselves out of the picture after acquiring the signing rights to Chris Tanev from the Stars.

Pesce, 29, has been a top-four fixture for the Hurricanes for nearly a decade. The 2013 third-round pick made his first splash in the NHL just two years later, spending one season in a bottom-pairing role for Carolina before consistently establishing himself as a 20-minute-muncher in his sophomore campaign. Pesce has finished in the top 20 in Norris Trophy voting on two occasions (2019 and 2021) and has firmly established himself as one of the steadier shutdown threats in the league.

He’s coming off somewhat of a down year offensively with 13 points in 70 games, but also received his lowest usage (20:17 per game) since 2019, with the Canes running one of the deepest defenses in the league. In New Jersey, he replaces Marino as the primary right-shot option behind Dougie Hamilton. He’ll anchor second-pairing minutes in the Garden State, potentially alongside 2024 Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes.

The Devils now also look to land a solid veteran presence in Dillon, although it’s not clear how long he’ll stick around with no contract terms reported yet. Now 33, Dillon had spent the last three seasons with the Jets, where he accumulated 63 points and a +38 rating in 238 games (with 235 PIMs to boot). He’s not quite the minute-muncher Pesce is, but still has mobility into top-four roles for the time being. with Jonas Siegenthaler and second-year blue liner Simon Nemec also in the picture, the Devils’ defense for next season is likely now set. They also added additional depth in a trade with the Canadiens yesterday, picking up Johnathan Kovacevic.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Utah Hockey Club Acquires John Marino

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The Utah Hockey Club has traded for defenseman John Marino and Pick 153 in the 2024 NHL Draft from the New Jersey Devils, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (Twitter link). In return, the Devils receive Pick 49 and the Edmonton Oilers’ 2025 second-round pick. LeBrun mentions that this opens space for the Devils to sign Brett Pesce when free agency opens on Monday.

Rumors about Marino’s availability kicked into high gear in the week ahead of the draft, as New Jersey became tied to Pesce. It seems that is the path the team will head down, now boasting $19.654MM in cap space, after moving Marino’s $4.4MM bill. That should be plenty enough to beckon Pesce away from Carolina, where he’s so far spent his entire career, though New Jersey will also have to keep their seven pending free agents in mind. That list is headlined by Dawson Mercer, who established a dominant role in the team’s top-six over the course of his entry-level contract. He should be due for a substantial pay raise, though once Mercer is re-signed New Jersey will have their core of Mercer, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton signed for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Marino will join Mikhail Sergachev as Utah’s newest defenders – and may even play next to the former Lightning on the team’s top line. Marino recorded four goals and 25 points in 75 games this season, falling just one point shy of the career-high he set in 56 games as a rookie. He’s proven reliable through his tenure with the Devils, after joining the team in July of 2022. New Jersey traded Ty Smith and a 2023 third-round pick to Pittsburgh for Marino – since deploying him in a consistent and reliable second-pair role. But Marino seems to have upside left to give, and could find his stride on a Utah blue-line with plenty of space.

Devils Notes: Smith, Necas, Pesce

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James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now is reporting that New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith will likely become a free agent on July 1st. Nichols added that a different source of his told him that if Smith reaches free agency, it will be his choice and not the Devils. Smith was a trade candidate at the NHL trade deadline but ultimately stayed in New Jersey, however, when the season ended, Smith told the media that he hadn’t discussed a contract extension with the Devils.

The Devils have been busy as of late and are expected to make some major moves this summer, Smith has acknowledged that there is a pecking order to things, and it seems entirely possible that he is open to re-signing with the team. The 35-year-old has stated to the media that he loves New Jersey, but the most important thing to him is staying in the NHL.

In other Devils notes:

  • Frank Seravalli has linked the Devils to Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas saying that New Jersey may have offered their 10th overall picks in this year’s draft in an attempt to acquire the 25-year-old. At this point, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Carolina is fielding a ton of offers for Necas, while simultaneously trying to sign pending unrestricted free agents such as Jake Guentzel. Necas had a solid, but unspectacular year with the Hurricanes, dressing in 77 games while posting 24 goals and 29 assists. He is a pending restricted free agent and is due a $3.5MM qualifying offer.
  • Rumors continue to fly about the Devils signing free-agent defenseman Brett Pesce. The chatter began when Elliotte Friedman of the 32 Thoughts podcast linked the two sides late last week. Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald told The Jeff Marek Show that he was in the market for defensemen to add to his backend. Pesce is a defense-first rearguard who can play in a variety of roles, he posted a career-high 30 points in the 2022-23 season, but that dropped last year to just three goals and 10 assists in 70 games.

Maple Leafs, Predators Linked To Brett Pesce

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Expect the Maple Leafs and Predators to be two of the top suitors for Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce if he hits the open market next month, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

The Hurricanes are still attempting to extend Pesce after general manager Don Waddell resigned last month, but they haven’t been close to a deal since discussions started last summer. In fact, most believed he would be traded last summer to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of this season, but they took him off the trade block during training camp and decided to continue negotiations.

Recent reports around Pesce’s pending free agency suggest more of the same. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believed the Canes were holding firm at an offer of around $5MM annually on a five-year deal that Pesce wasn’t willing to accept.

Nashville was one of the teams interested in acquiring him when he was made available for trade last summer, Pagnotta notes, so it’s of no surprise to see them linked to Pesce again. They’re looking for a top-four defender to replace Ryan McDonagh, whom they traded back to the Lightning last month after acquiring him from Tampa in the 2022 offseason.

Pesce would be a similar stylistic fit, but unlike McDonagh, he’s a right-shot. That gives him a greater potential of sliding upward in the lineup to play alongside captain Roman Josi, also a left-shot, on the team’s top pairing.

He’s used to heavy usage, averaging over 20 minutes per game for eight straight seasons. The 29-year-old is coming off a down year offensively with only three goals and 13 points in 70 games, but his career averages suggest the two-way blue-liner is more of a 25-to-30-point producer over a full season.

The New York native has earned sparse Norris consideration in the past, receiving votes in 2018 and 2020. His possession numbers are still strong, controlling 54.4% of shot attempts at even strength throughout his career. He’s also had an expected goals share north of 50% for the past four years, per Hockey Reference.

It’s no surprise to see Toronto engaged in Pesce rumors, either. They’ll be in on nearly all of the top defensemen on this summer’s UFA market, but especially right-shots. Ideally, second-year GM Brad Treliving is looking for a stable partner for top offensive blue liner Morgan Rielly, who’s had a rotating cast of shutdown partners over the past few seasons.

The Leafs lack puck-movers outside of Rielly among their defense corps, and while it’s not a hallmark of Pesce’s game, he would be a small upgrade over Jake McCabe and the outgoing T.J. Brodie in that regard. He’s eclipsed 20 assists four times in his career, including a career-high 25 helpers in 2022-23.

Evolving Hockey’s contract projections peg Pesce to land a six-year, $5.5MM AAV deal on the open market, slightly lengthier and richer than his rumored extension offer in Carolina. That would be feasible for both the Leafs and Preds, who enter the offseason with a decent amount of salary cap flexibility.

Hurricanes Notes: Skjei, Pesce, Guentzel

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei has shared that getting a “fair offer” will be his top priority as he enters free agency, per Walt Ruff of NHL.com (Twitter link). Skjei is coming off a career year, posting a career-high 47 points in 80 games and averaging the second-most ice time on Carolina’s defense. The Hurricanes have expressed interest in hanging onto Skjei, but his strong performance – following an 18-goal season last year – has positioned him as one of the top names set to hit the open market.

Skjei, 30, is likely set to join the team he’ll finish his career with on his next deal. It’d be no surprise if that remained Carolina, who Skjei joined via trade from the New York Rangers in the 2019-20 season – with Carolina sending the 2019 first-round pick used on Hendrix Lapierre the other way. After five up-and-down seasons in New York, Skjei found a home in Carolina – becoming a much more consistent and reliable defender in all three zones. He’s appeared in 302 games and recorded 135 points – both ranked second among Hurricanes defensemen since 2019, behind Jaccob Slavin. Skjei, Slavin, and Brett Pesce have become pillars of the Hurricanes’ defense in the years since, though Carolina is already planning to part ways with the latter. That should give them more cap space to negotiate with Skjei, though they’re sure to have no shortage of competition in pitching a “fair offer”.

Other notes from Carolina:

  • Speaking of Pesce, he shared with Chip Alexander of The News and Observer that he was close to returning from injury before the season ended, sharing he was hoping to return in the Conference Finals. Pesce was bearing through a fracture in his fibula, near his ankle, suffered in Game 2 against the New York Islanders. He missed the final nine games of Carolina’s season – a quiet end to what was a quiet season, with Pesce posting a career-low 13 points through 70 games. He finished his closeout interview by adding that he’s hoping both he and defense-partner Skjei will find a way to re-sign in Carolina, saying “We don’t want our story to end, for sure. We both want to be back, it’s pretty obvious.”
  • New Carolina Hurricanes star Jake Guentzel didn’t rule out a return to Carolina during locker room clean-out, though he made sure to emphasize that it’s a business at the end of the day, shared Ruff (Twitter link). Guentzel was dazzling in Carolina, recording 25 points in 17 regular-season games and nine points in 11 postseason games. He was, in his usual fashion, one of the team’s most consistent performers in the playoffs, serving a strong role on Carolina’s top line after spending the regular season throughout the top six. Guentzel, 29, would challenge Steven Stamkos as the most coveted player on the open market this year, should he enter free agency. That excitement could have him interested in playing the field, though he made sure to speak highly of the Hurricanes in his final interview, sharing “This team for sure can win a Stanley Cup. I think it’s right there… I want to win more than anything and that’s all I care about.”

Hurricanes Not Expected To Re-Sign Brett Pesce, Martin Necas

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The Hurricanes will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason by any measure. After getting bounced in the second round by the Rangers, not only is the future of head coach Rod Brind’Amour in question, but they have multiple pending unrestricted free agents that would be among the top 20 names on the market should they not be re-signed before July 1.

One of them is blue-liner Brett Pesce, whose season ended in Game 2 of the first round against the Islanders after sustaining a lower-body injury. The top-four staple in Raleigh for nearly a decade could very well have played his last game for the Canes, notes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Friday’s edition of “32 Thoughts”:

“Pesce didn’t seem likely. They kinda told him what they were willing to do last year,” Friedman said. “I think it was in the (five years, $5MM AAV) range. It didn’t work. I don’t know that it’s changed.”

Early into the extension-eligible period for their 2024 UFAs, reports indicated the Hurricanes weren’t close to extensions with any of them aside from franchise center Sebastian Aho, who inked the richest contract in franchise history last July. That included Pesce, who most expected Carolina to trade before the season to avoid letting him walk for nothing. He was even allowed to discuss extensions with other teams last summer, but Friedman confirmed during training camp that he’d been taken off the trade block by general manager Don Waddell.

It wasn’t the wisest decision for Pesce, who’s coming off arguably his worst campaign since his rookie season. His 0.19 points per game were a career-low, his 20:17 average per game was the lowest since 2015-16, and his possession metrics checked in right around the team average in both shot attempts and expected goals.

After a lengthy run of being one of the better two-way defenders in the league, though, he’s still likely in line to earn a slightly richer deal than what Carolina is offering him. Evolving Hockey projects him to land a six-year deal on the open market with a roughly $5.5MM cap hit.

Friedman also believes that forward Martin Nečas, now a restricted free agent after completing a two-year, $6MM bridge deal, could have his signing rights traded this summer, saying he doesn’t think Carolina will do “what Nečas wants to do.” The Hurricanes are expected to prioritize re-signing trade deadline pickup Jake Guentzel, the best left wing available on the pending UFA market. He also notes that Seth Jarvis, an RFA like Necas, has surpassed him on the depth chart internally and is more of a financial priority long-term.

Nečas is eligible for salary arbitration this summer, so they may need to execute a sign-and-trade or allow him to negotiate with other clubs. Opening the possibility for Nečas to force an acquiring team to arbitration could lower his trade value.

The 2017 12th-overall pick took a considerable step back this season, posting 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games after recording a career-high 71 in 82 last season. The Czech winger hasn’t historically been a positive possession force on a deep Hurricanes forward group, either, although he was good in playoff action this year with four goals and five assists in 11 games.

Any team acquiring Nečas would only be able to sign him to a seven-year deal if they wanted to go for the maximum term since he was on Carolina’s reserve list at the trade deadline, although it could be an eight-year deal via a sign-and-trade. Evolving Hockey projects that as the most likely outcome with a $7.5MM cap hit.

Injury Notes: Marchand, Pesce, Kreider, Trenin

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Things are trending toward Bruins captain Brad Marchand returning to the lineup as they try and force a Game 7 against the Panthers on Friday night. He practiced with the team today and skated with the first power play unit, reports The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, indicating head coach Jim Montgomery is preparing for him to be available. Montgomery later told reporters that Marchand remains day-to-day, but his status could change tomorrow (via NBC Sports Boston’s Ty Anderson).

Marchand missed Games 4 and 5 after Panthers center Sam Bennett laid out a controversial hit in Game 3, causing him to sustain an upper-body injury. The 35-year-old has been Boston’s best skater in these playoffs, tying for the team lead with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games. He hasn’t taken a minor penalty in the Florida series, only being assessed a 10-minute misconduct for his role in a third-period Game 2 melee after Brandon Montour scored shorthanded to put the Cats up 6-1.

The B’s dropped Game 4 without their captain but managed to escape Florida with a 2-1 win in Game 5 to keep their season alive. The Bruins are now 2-2 in potential elimination games this postseason after dropping Games 5 and 6 against the Maple Leafs in the first round despite taking a 3-1 series lead.

Other injury updates as we rapidly near the Conference Finals:

  • The Hurricanes will be without defenseman Brett Pesce as they try and stave off elimination for a third straight game against the Rangers tonight, head coach Rod Brind’Amour confirmed (via Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal). He’s ramped up practicing with the team as he tries to return from a lower-body injury, but he’ll miss his ninth straight contest. Pesce hasn’t played since sustaining the injury midway through Game 2 of Carolina’s first-round win over the Islanders. The pending unrestricted free agent averaged 20:17 per game in the regular season, his lowest usage since his rookie season in 2015-16 while posting three goals and 13 points in 70 games.
  • Rangers winger Chris Kreider was absent from practice yesterday due to maintenance, but it appears the team was underselling whatever’s going on. He confirmed to reporters he’ll play in Game 6, but likely isn’t 100 percent. Earlier this morning, he was downgraded to probable/uncertain for Game 6 tonight, head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters (including USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano). Kreider did return to practice with the team at today’s morning skate, though, something Laviolette called “a real positive.” He had two goals and two assists in Games 1 through 3 against Carolina but has been held without a point in their Game 4 and 5 losses.
  • Avalanche checking forward Yakov Trenin is being evaluated for an upper-body injury after leaving last night’s Game 5 win over the Stars prematurely, Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal reported mid-game. Picked up from the Predators before the trade deadline, Trenin has one goal in 10 postseason games thus far and has played a smaller role than expected, averaging 10:36 per game. He’s also struggled in the faceoff dot while serving as their fourth-line pivot, winning only 43.6% of his draws. If he’s unable to play in Game 6 on Friday, expect veteran Chris Wagner to draw into the lineup. Wagner’s lone appearance came in their Game 1 overtime win over Dallas last week, logging 8:28 of ice time.

Snapshots: Demko, Nelson, Pesce

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The Canucks have managed a split through the first four games of their series against Edmonton despite being without their starting goalie.  However, it appears that there’s a chance that Thatcher Demko will hit the ice at some point this round.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), head coach Rick Tocchet stated that his netminder has “improved immensely the last 72 hours” although he didn’t go as far as confirming that Demko would suit up in the coming days.  However, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that a return in Game Six or Seven is a possibility for Demko.  The 28-year-old posted a career-best .918 SV% in 51 starts during the regular season and was expected to be a big part of their playoff run before suffering a knee injury in the first game of the first round versus Nashville.

More from around the NHL:

  • The Jets are among the teams looking for a new head coach following the retirement of Rick Bowness. In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that some believe Todd Nelson could be a viable candidate to take over behind the bench in Winnipeg.  Nelson doesn’t have much experience as a head coach in the NHL (just 51 games with Edmonton in 2014-15) but is a very experienced coach.  He has been an assistant at the top level with Atlanta and Dallas (spanning six years combined) and is in his tenth season as an AHL head coach; he currently is with Hershey who led the league with 111 points during the regular season.
  • Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce returned to practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, notes team reporter Walt Ruff. The 29-year-old has been out since being injured in the second game of the playoffs and consistently logs big minutes for Carolina while helping to anchor their penalty kill.  While Pesce skated today, head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated that they’re still operating under the expectation that he won’t be back this round but would consider putting him in if he was cleared to return in this series.

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