Carolina Hurricanes: Why Brett Pesce is irreplaceable
His contract is exceptional value
In a league where elite defensemen regularly sign contracts of $5.5m AAV and above, Brett Pesce has an AAV of just $4.025m, and does so until the summer of 2024. The only other Carolina Hurricanes players signed that long are the recently-extended Teuvo Teravainen, and the aforementioned Slavin.
Pesce is a foundation on this team and, in an era where the salary cap climbs ever-upward, his contract gets better and better with each passing year. When Pesce signed that deal, it represented 5.37% of the Canes’ total salary cap. If the cap rises to $83m next season, as it is rumored it will, that cap hit will have already shrunk to just 4.85% of the cap – and will continue to decrease each year with each subsequent cap rise.
In terms of defensemen, the league’s best contract is arguably the $3.75m AAV the Nashville Predators somehow convinced Mattias Ekholm to agree to. When Ekholm signed that extension, he had 32 points in 155 career games – Pesce had 36 in 151 games, and was three years younger than Ekholm, when he signed his deal.
Other comparables for Pesce’s contract are Josh Manson ($4.1m AAV, 35pts in 181GP, 4 years older than Pesce); Brian Dumoulin ($4.1m, 33pts in 166GP, 3 years older) and Damon Severson ($4.167m, 69pts in 203GP, same age). Considering how highly-touted both Manson and Severson are, it’s amazing how little media coverage Pesce gets. His contract is better value for the Canes than any of those three deals.
Brett Pesce cannot be traded
Bearing in mind his leadership value, his ability to build a partnership with whomever he plays alongside, and his bang-for-buck compared to those other NHL defensemen, it’s hard to fathom why the Carolina Hurricanes would ever contemplate trading Pesce. He brings so much to the team on and off the ice, and any return via trade would inevitably fail to properly value his importance to the future of the franchise.
Next. 3 potential trades with the Ducks. dark
Brett Pesce is simply irreplaceable for the Carolina Hurricanes. He is without doubt the team’s best RHD, forms a formidable partnership with whomever he plays, and his contract is simply unbeatable in terms of value. Hockey media needs to stop linking the Canes with a Pesce trade – he’s more important to the future of this team than either Dougie Hamilton or Justin Faulk, and we hope he stays with the Carolina Hurricanes for many, many years.