*Photo from New Jersey Hockey Now*
Adding defense help was the name of the game in Jersey. D Brett Pesce and the New Jersey Devils have agreed to a 6 year, $33 million contract, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. The signing has been confirmed by the team.
Originally from Tarrytown, New York, signing with the Devils is a little bit of a homecoming for Pesce, who has blossomed into a top 4 defenseman on the right side. Able to log big minutes on the ice, the 29 year old was heavily coveted entering free agency.
Pesce said of going to the Devils that "At the end of the day, I did always know I wanted to end up here. I loved my time as a ‘Cane and sometimes it’s just the nature of the business, it doesn't work out. But playing close to home for me is something really important. To be 45 minutes from the Prudential Center is a dream come true. I played my youth hockey at the Ice House in Hackensack, so I can't really ask for anything more."
Last season, Pesce didn't accumulate many points but was still productive for the Carolina Hurricanes. He ended the year with 3 goals and 10 assists, posting a +10 rating while averaging 20:17 of ice time per game in 70 games. He had one assist in a pair of playoff games.
The contract for Pesce with the Devils is very beneficial for him. The contract has a $5.5 million AAV, with Pesce getting a signing bonus in the first 5 years of the deal. He gets a full no trade clause for the first 3 years and then a modified no trade clause in the form of a 15 team no trade list for the final 3.
Asked about the Devils' outlook, Pesce said "It's not fun playing against them, to be honest. God it's tough seeing them flying up the wing and you defending them. You don't see that often. I’m used to playing against top guys my whole career and those guys are cream of the crop and that's why I'm so excited to just get going because I think the sky's the limit for this team."
Pesce has spent all 9 years of his career to date with the Hurricanes, making his debut in the 2015-2016 season. He has 39 goals and 159 assists to his name, averaging 21:05 of ice time per game across 627 games. He has an additional 5 goals and 16 assists in 57 playoff games.
The Devils have done some shifting of their defense group so far this offseason. In addition to signing Pesce, they've dealt John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club and acquired Johnathan Kovacevic from the Montreal Canadiens. They also acquired Jacob Markstrom from Calgary to become their top goalie.
Comments
Post a Comment