Welcome to the The Hockey Writers’ Countdown of the 10 most impactful New Jersey Devils of the 2024-25 season. This is not a countdown of the 10 best but rather a list of players slated to have the biggest impact. These 10 players offer unique contributions, are difficult to replace, and are essential to the Devils’ quest to return to the postseason. The list continues with number five, Brett Pesce.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald headed into the offseason wanting to remake his team from the crease outwards. After securing a head coach, he focused on making his team a more difficult matchup for opponents. Last season, teams figured out that the Devils had trouble playing off script and finding ways to win low-scoring, grinding games when teams took away rush opportunities. Early in the season, the Devils also had difficulty suppressing odd-man rushes and were seemingly unable to protect the front of their net adequately. The issue became what the team should do with John Marino.
Unfortunately for the Devils, Marino’s play regressed in 2023-24. He was put in a very difficult position in a lineup usually composed of three rookie defensemen without a regular partner. In just 11 more games, he was on the ice for 48 more goals against than the season before. Marino had difficulty defending his net front and was too often on the wrong side of opponents, and his failure to box out or stick check led directly to goals. In his postseason remarks, Fitzgerald mentioned the team’s need to gain strength and maturity. He chose to do that on defense through free agency with the acquisitions of Pesce and Brenden Dillon to replace Marino and Kevin Bahl.
The Devils’ blue line is an unusual mix of players. Talent abounds on the right side with Dougie Hamilton, Pesce, and former second-overall draft pick Simon Nemec. The left side features another top-five pick in Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes and two stalwart, defense-first players in Dillon and Jonas Siegenthaler. New coach Sheldon Keefe will be able to mix and match pairs based on performance, health, and matchups. The versatility of Pesce is the key component of the group’s flexibility and is a key to the team’s ability to bounce back significantly.
Brett Pesce Is an Upgrade on Defense
Devils’ management believes that Pesce is an upgrade over Marino. The team was linked to Pesce for weeks leading up to free agency. Speculation abounded that they would need to move on from Marino to clear space for Pesce. This engendered much hand-wringing from the Devils’ followers, many of whom believed that Pesce was an insufficient upgrade over Marino to warrant spending $2 million more in cap space on the free agent. A comparison of the two players only leads to one conclusion: Fitzgerald was correct in acquiring Pesce.
Throughout the last two seasons, Pesce outpaced Marino in almost every category. Despite playing 13 more games, he was on the ice for 15 fewer high-danger goals against and three goals total at 5v5. With Pesce on the ice, the Hurricanes played to a .909 save percentage (SV%), while the Devils played to an .897 SV% with Marino. Pesce gave the puck away almost half as much, blocked twice as many shots, drew more penalties, and took fewer hits.
The disparity is even starker on the penalty kill. Marino played just over 50 more penalty-kill minutes than Pesce and was on the ice for 19 more goals against. Despite their expected goals against per 60 minutes being nearly identical, with Pesce on the ice, the Hurricanes surrendered more than two fewer goals per 60 minutes than the Devils did with Marino. Their hits are even on the kill, but Pesce blocked over twice as many shots as Marino.
Pesce is the quintessential second-pair defenseman and could be the perfect counterbalance for Hughes. A two-way defender who provides some secondary offense, Pesce notably uses his size while controlling his net front and zone entries. He is masterful at doing small things well. Carolina deployed him as a matchup defender due to the simplicity of his game in the defensive zone, his efficiency in killing rushes, and his clean zone exits shift after shift against the opponent’s best forwards. Pesce is also an excellent shot blocker and a premier penalty killer.
Pesce’s Impact on the Devils’ Success in 2024-25
The upgrade to Pesce has the potential to make all the difference this season for New Jersey. He can simultaneously provide true balance at 5v5, elevate the penalty kill, and mentor the next generation of great Devils defensemen. Imagine a Devils team with a true shutdown defensive pair that can also chip in on offense, two stout penalty kill units, and a defense corps that will hold each other accountable. All of that is possible and now likely with the addition of Pesce. Not to be overlooked is what he brings to the locker room. In his nine seasons, he has already played in 57 playoff games. He has been a part of a winning culture in Carolina and will be looked upon for leadership in New Jersey.
The Devils should be able to strategically deploy their defense pairings as they now have multiple players capable of playing more than 20 minutes per game. Pesce has averaged 21 minutes a game for his career. Having Pesce and Dillon eat up big minutes will allow Hughes and Nemec to play more sheltered minutes as they develop and keep Hamilton fresher to remain healthy and have the power play impact they sorely missed last season. Keefe can use Pesce and Dillon to close out games and match up against top lines in crucial moments.
There is no telling what pairs Keefe will ultimately settle on, but he has a myriad of options because of Pesce. The most likely pair is Pesce with Hughes as the team’s second unit. Pesce should allow Hughes more freedom to use his strengths to attack and carry the puck, while Pesce plays to his strengths to shut down rushes and block shots. The Devils thrived on stretch passes in 2022-23, which were largely absent from their game last season. Pesce’s ability to break pucks out and find players on the rush should also be a boon for New Jersey’s forwards.
What They Are Saying About Brett Pesce
Former Devil Brendan Smith played with Pesce in Carolina. In an interview after he signed in Dallas, Smith was effusive in his praise for Pesce.
“I think Brett is very underrated because of the Carolina market. Now, I understand more people are getting a feel for how good he is. I think people in Jersey are going to love him.
“If he is not going to be one of the top two defensemen in Jersey, I would be shocked because he is a competitive guy who brings it every night. He is consistent, and in the aspect of sports, consistency is such a big thing. He brings it every day.”
Former Devils Defenseman Brendan Smith
As Smith said, Pesce has the ability to immediately be one of the top two defensemen in New Jersey. His leadership, consistency, and relentless effort should indelibly impact the 2024-25 team. He is the fifth most impactful player on the 2024-25 Devils. Stay tuned for number four, which is coming soon.
