The Carolina Hurricanes and general manager Ron Francis continued what has been a banner offseason last week, with another move looking toward the long haul. The team signed defenseman Brett Pesce to a six-year extension that will pay him $4.025 million per season through 2024.
In his second year as a pro last season, Pesce set career highs with 82 games played and 20 points, with a team single-season record +23. Pesce, along with his defensive partner, Jaccob Slavin, showed tremendous growth in their second year, shutting down the opposition’s best players on a nightly basis. It was an easy decision for Carolina to lock in such a key piece of its young core.
“I think his development has gotten better and better every year,” Francis said in a recent interview with NHL Network. “We think a lot of Brett, not only as a player but as a person too. He’s a solid-character individual, we still think he’s got more upside to his game and we’re excited to have him as part of the organization here with Carolina for a long time, and be able to watch that development take place.”
In two years, Pesce has found a place for himself both on and off the ice. He’s built relationships with his teammates and coaches, and forged a home in Raleigh. He was as ready to commit to the team as it was to commit to him.
“I love Raleigh, honestly,” Pesce said. “I consider it home now. I love the team; management’s great to me. I really don’t have anything bad to say. That’s why it was a no brainer when we were talking six years for me.”
Pesce, a third-round pick for the Canes in the 2013 entry draft, has made a rapid progression up the hockey ladder over the past two years. Two summers ago, he had wrapped up his junior season at the University of New Hampshire and made the decision to turn pro. The thought was that he would spend some time in the American Hockey League with the Charlotte Checkers before being ready for the NHL.
He did spend some time with the Checkers, just not as much as anyone thought. Pesce impressed with the Canes in 2015’s training camp, but was ultimately sent down to begin the season in Charlotte. The demotion did not last long, however, as Pesce was quickly called up and ended up playing 69 games with the Canes in the 2015-16 season, impressing as a rookie. Now, he’s part of the team’s top pairing on defense, and has signed a long-term, big money deal just two short years after wrapping up his college career.
“I always try and hope and strive for the best,” Pesce said. “When it actually happens it’s pretty surreal. I have a lot to be thankful for, starting with my family, and I’ve got a great support system that helped me get here. It’s a good time for myself and the organization. I’m excited to get going.”
Not that having secured his big payday will give Pesce a feeling of being able to settle in and relax. If anything, the new contract provides the Tarrytown, New York, native with even more motivation.
“It kind of makes me more excited and kind of promotes me to work even harder, because I know how much the organization, how much faith they put in me with this deal,” Pesce said. “I know that now is the time to get even better, work even harder and really elevate my game. I’ve got to up my game now, and the work really starts.”
Also motivating and exciting Pesce are the other moves the organization has made this summer. The Canes showed growth last year, going on a 13-game point streak in March to get into the playoff hunt, only to fall short once again. The offseason addition of forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Kruger and Josh Jooris, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and goalie Scott Darling give the team a legitimate chance at ending its eight-year playoff drought.
“It just makes me more excited and more eager to get back at it,” Pesce said. “It was a long offseason, that’s for sure. I’m getting pretty bored over here. I think we made the moves to be a playoff team for sure. I think anything below that is an underachievement. It’s a really exciting time, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Pesce will have a familiar face joining him for the long haul on the Canes’ blue line. His defensive partner Jaccob Slavin signed a seven-year extension earlier in the summer, giving the two the opportunity to stick together as a premiere shutdown duo for years to come.
“I think everyone knows how much chemistry me and Jaccob had last year,” Pesce said. “I’m hopeful that we’ll just continue to keep building on that and grow together as a pair if we get the opportunity to play [together] again, which I’m hoping we will.”
The moves the Canes’ management team has made over the past three years has set the team up to be competitive for a very long time. Locking in its top defensive pairing gives Carolina a foundation to build around on the back end for years to come.
