The Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs this season after a seven-game series against the Boston Bruins led to a heartbreaking failure. The Maple Leafs played well, but they couldn’t make it past the Bruins and will be looking to make some changes this offseason in hopes of having a different type of ending next season. The Maple Leafs already chose to relieve Sheldon Keefe of his duties as head coach and hire former St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube, marking their first major offseason change. While many fans expect the Maple Leafs to make more changes this summer, there is one defenceman who may hit the open market that they should target.
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Brett Pesce has been a huge part of the Carolina Hurricanes blue line for the past few seasons. While the Hurricanes were eliminated in the second round after a six-game series with the New York Rangers, they had a strong team heading into the postseason and played well, but were simply outbattled by a stronger team. With that being said, the Hurricanes have several players who need new contracts who were big parts of their team this season including Pesce, Jake Guentzel, Tony DeAngelo, Brady Skeji, and Jordan Martinook amongst others. If Pesce doesn’t agree to a new contract with the Hurricanes and enters the open market as an unrestricted free agent, the Maple Leafs should pursue him.
One of the biggest issues for the Maple Leafs this season was the lack of consistency from their defencemen. Morgan Rielly played well as a top-pairing defender, but the remainder of the Maple Leafs’ defensive lineup was lackluster at best. Adding someone like Pesce who has proven to be a consistent two-way defender would be a great addition to their top-four next season, and he likely wouldn’t break the bank on a new contract. While his offensive stats don’t jump out by any means, his defensive play and confidence to jump into the rush make up for his lack of scoring ability.
Who is Brett Pesce?
Pesce is a 29-year-old right-shot defender from Tarrytown, New York who is a pending unrestricted free agent having most recently played with the Hurricanes and has been playing in their system since the 2014-15 season. They drafted Pesce in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft at 66th overall after a solid season in the NCAA with the University of New Hampshire. Over three seasons in the NCAA, he scored 11 goals and added 32 assists for 43 points through 110 games which comes out to a 0.39 points-per-game average. His strength in the defensive end is what stood out and earned him an opportunity at the NHL level, and the Hurricanes gave him a chance.
Over nine seasons in the NHL with the Hurricanes, Pesce has scored 39 goals and added 159 assists for 198 points through 627 games which comes out to a 0.32 points-per-game average. As I mentioned, his offensive game isn’t outstanding, but his defensive game is. He has earned a reputation throughout his career in the NHL as a strong shutdown defender who can be trusted to play any role within a lineup. The Hurricanes have a strong defensive lineup which could push Pesce out and force him to find a new team, which should be the Maple Leafs if he becomes available.
The Maple Leafs should be trying to make a push for Pesce this offseason. Based on his age, strength of play, and previous contract, it’s safe to assume he could earn a small raise on his next deal. I would predict he gets a 3-4-year contract worth $4.75-$5.5 million per season, no matter where he ends up signing. As of right now, the Maple Leafs have roughly $23 million to spend this offseason to re-sign their pending free agents and bring in new players, which is more than enough money to try and bring in Pesce, even after they bring back some of their players who need new deals like Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Mark Giordano. At the end of the day, the Maple Leafs need to upgrade defensively, and Pesce would be the perfect addition to their blue line moving forward.
