Carolina Hurricanes: Brett Pesce’s 2019-20 Season Outlook

Brett Pesce has been an important piece for a position of strength for the Carolina Hurricanes. What will the 2019-20 season have in store for the talented defenseman?

Brett Pesce has been a name that’s been labeled as being one of the best bargain prices for a defenseman in the NHL. The benefit is that the Carolina Hurricanes have two defensemen locked up for a very affordable price. The other is Jaccob Slavin.

Pesce was a stellar defenseman regardless of who he was on a pair with. Whether it was Slavin or Justin Faulk, he was always able to mesh with who was paired with. And that says a lot about Pasce’s ability to play defense. When on a pair with Slavin, he plays on his strong side and shuts down opposing players. When he is with Faulk, he is usually tasked with playing on his off side and is just as effective.

One part of Pesce’s game that improved drastically is his offense. He broke his career high totals in both goals and assists last season with seven goals and 22 assists. Pesce got better on the offensive end because he knows when to pinch up-ice, and when to not pinch and has become more adept at keeping the puck in the zone. That is crucial for any defenseman; if they misjudge the pinch, they can leave the other defenseman stranded on an odd-man rush. Pesce has the hockey sense in terms of pinching offensively.

What should we expect to see from Brett Pesce next season?

One thing that is almost a guarantee when it comes to Brett Pesce is his outstanding defensive play. You should expect to see a lot more where that came from, especially now, having Stanley Cup playoff experience under his belt. He knows what it takes to shut down elite-level forwards and there is nothing that suggests that is changing any time soon.

A statistic that points out how effective of a defenseman Pesce really was last season was his plus/minus. Although plus/minus as a statistic is a debate in its own right, it can tell how good a defenseman actually is.

Pesce was a plus-35 last season, which means he was on the ice for 35 more even-strength or short-handed goals for the Hurricanes over the amount scored by the opposition. His plus/minus was first on the Hurricanes and third in the entire NHL. That’s impressive regardless of your view on the statistic. While a having a plus-35 is outstanding, Pesce is very capable of getting back to that mark next season. He should turn in a plus/minus of plus-30 or above again next season.

Pesce also finished last season two blocked shots behind Slavin for number one on the team. Slavin also had the advantage of playing in nine more games than Pesce was able to last season. It’s fair to say with a full season, like Slavin played, that Pesce would have had more blocked shots between the two. If Pesce is able to play a full 82 game season, then Pesce should lead the Hurricanes in blocked shots next season.

What he really brings to the table is how disciplined of a game he plays. And we know that head coach Rod Brind’Amour preaches that his team plays a disciplined game of hockey. Pesce rarely makes bonehead mistakes that put his team in trouble. He only had 24 penalty minutes last season; Pesce will play the same disciplined style and it will result in even less penalty minutes next season.

What will we see from Pesce offensively though?

The Carolina Hurricanes have bolstered their offense this offseason, which was needed despite the deep run into the playoffs. That should only mean positive things offensively for the rest of the team.

Brett Pesce isn’t really known around the league for his offensive game, but as the years went on his offensive production has progressed in the right direction. He looks poised to break the 30-point mark for the first time in his career in the 2019-20 season. Pesce will also break his career high in goals next season, and could finally break double-digit goal-scoring with at least 10 next season. Pesce will also amass assists in the range of around 20-25 next season.

Question for CC Readers: Which part of Brett Pesce’s game are you most excited to watch next season?