Brett Pesce trade destinations: 5 teams that could (or should) be interested

It’s that time in the offseason when the dust starts to settle. Depth charts have started to take shape after the early flurry of trades in the offseason around the draft and free agency.

But not every team is done reconstructing its roster. There are still players who could be on the move ahead of puck drop on the season, including Brett Pesce.

Why would the Hurricanes trade Pesce?

Carolina probably doesn’t want to lose a defenseman who’s been such a pivotal part of its blue line over the last eight seasons. But if the 2024 unrestricted free agent isn’t extended by the time the season rolls around to give the team long-term certainty, he’s going to be playing elsewhere sooner than his next contract as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported.

Pesce’s in the final year of a six-year contract carrying a $4.025 million cap hit. The deciding factor in his future may be how much of a raise he’s seeking. The Hurricanes generally don’t hand out super hefty contracts. Those are reserved for the very top of their lineup — the Sebastian Ahos (who will be seeking a new contract ahead of next summer as well), the Andrei Svechnikovs, and Jaccob Slavin probably belongs in that category, too. Outside of that, it’s hard to see management completely changing course and throwing money at Pesce, especially when they’ve created such a strong system that’s allowed them to interchange supporting players around their core. Pesce is arguably part of that core, but management may feel the foundation set would allow them to replace him if they can’t find common ground. Plus, there are some durability concerns considering his role and usage and the fact he’s already had two shoulder surgeries. The safer bet could be his partner, Brady Skjei, who is also a UFA in 2024.

For @TheAthletic:
The Hurricanes and Brett Pesce are trying to hammer out a contract extension.
What is the defenseman likely looking for in a new deal? And if the price is too steep for Carolina, what could Pesce fetch in a trade?
— Cory Lavalette (@corylav) June 21, 2023

If Pesce were to be a free agent this summer, Evolving Hockey would have him signing for six years at about $6.3 million a year, on average, whether or not he sticks with his current team. That’s a bit above his market value over that span of time, according to The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn, which has him closer to being worth $5.5 million.

With cap growth in mind, and with how much teams tend to spend for right-handed defensemen, it’s possible Pesce pushes for more, which would end his tenure in Carolina.

Why should a team want to acquire Pesce?

Acquiring Pesce carries some risk because of his injury history, next contract and the unknowns of how he’ll perform outside of the Canes system. But there’s no such thing as a risk-free move. It’s all about balancing the reward, and in this case it’s his defensive play.

Pesce’s been relied on as a shutdown defenseman for years with the Hurricanes. He excels at defending the blue line and limiting rush chances against. He can be counted on to match up against top competition both at even strength and the penalty kill, and to be a source of stability on the back end. He’s never really had to be the guy, because Slavin’s always been valued a bit above him. But he can easily be a second-top-pair caliber defender behind a team’s No. 1. Add in the fact that he’s a right-handed defenseman, which is considered a coveted position in this league, and there should be teams interested in taking a risk on him.

Which teams should be interested?

Dallas Stars

The blue line is an area that could use improvement in Dallas. While there are younger defenders who could step up into more significant roles, whether it’s Thomas Harley or Nils Lundkvist taking on more, a team with the Stars’ playoff aspirations may want a bona fide boost.

Since the Stars didn’t add a defenseman in free agency, the trade market is probably the best route. And Pesce stands out as a strong top-four fit on the right side. The fact that this is a team with structure should help his game translate to a new team and make this a smoother transition. Dallas has assets to move, including its next three first-rounders and two of three seconds. Cap space is another issue, but the Stars can join the club of almost every other playoff team in need of moving salary out to bring anything back. Luckily, Pesce’s current contract isn’t too costly so it won’t be a huge stretch to clear that. Dallas could even become a long-term fit with some work. Considering the Stars’ playoff window, Pesce’s timeline does line up well here. The only issue is what the later years of that contract could be. But by the time Dallas gets to that point, it’ll shed some other big deals so it wouldn’t be too much clutter on the books.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres already addressed the right side of their blue line this summer by signing Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson. So at this point, Pesce is less of a need and more of a luxury. That doesn’t take them out of the mix, entirely, though.

If management wants to keep both Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power on their natural side and take their blue line up a notch further, someone like Pesce could be an ideal top-four righty. He and Clifton could balance out the Dahlin and Power pairings, or he could take on a total shutdown role with Mattias Samuelsson against top competition to free up their two stars. Pesce would be a plus on their penalty kill, as well. The remaining RHD (Johnson, Henri Jokiharju and Ilya Lyubushkin) could rotate in and provide some injury support this upcoming year. And there’s room for a long-term future with Pesce, especially with Johnson and Lyubushkin becoming UFAs next summer.

The Sabres would only be better with a player like Pesce on their roster. But while Buffalo has trade assets and cap space, it still needs to exercise caution with long-term contracts to avoid overextending itself before its playoff window officially opens.

Toronto Maple Leafs

While a team like Buffalo has the cap flexibility to fit Pesce into its long-term plans, the Maple Leafs don’t just yet. But management’s shown a willingness to bet on players for this upcoming season without that long-term certainty in an effort to maximize the team’s chances before core contracts expire. So maybe Pesce fits into that category, along with UFA signings Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Those two forward signings help check off two offseason needs. If tweaking the defense is still a priority, then Pesce is absolutely a player to inquire about. At this point, the only true certainty Toronto has on the right side of the blue line is TJ Brodie. Timothy Liljegren likely takes a bottom-four slot and John Klingberg could round out the trio of righties with Conor Timmins available as depth. Jake McCabe’s a lefty and can shift to the right if needed, as well. But that isn’t screaming ‘contender of a blue line facing a ton of expectations, with a lot of pressure to thrive right now.’ So maybe management will look for another effective defender, especially if the Klingberg bet doesn’t pan out.

The problem is Toronto has very little left to spend this year and still has to extend Ilya Samsonov. So this would require some cap creativity to click, or salary going back, even with Pesce’s reasonable cap hit in mind.

Nashville Predators

The Predators already have four righties under contract, but that may not preclude them from having interest in Pesce. Bringing in the defenseman could easily mean that Dante Fabbro, a player who has had some trade smoke around him before, will be on his way out. Tyson Barrie, who was acquired last deadline and has one year left on his contract, could be a rental for a team that needs some offensive pop from the blue line, too. That would easily make room for the Canes’ top-four defender.

Nashville doesn’t need Pesce as much as others around the league, even less so after signing Luke Schenn for three years. But he could be somewhat of a Mattias Ekholm replacement. Acquiring the 28-year-old would bring in a very steady partner for someone like Ryan McDonagh to absorb tough minutes against top competition. That would keep Roman Josi freed up for better matchups, which would allow him to play to his elite offensive strengths as much as possible.

The Predators have assets and cap space to make a trade happen, and don’t have a ton of long-term contract commitments keeping them from extending Pesce. The big question for general manager Barry Trotz is whether his timeline fits with the team’s — this seems like a club trying to retool, but some offseason moves were geared more toward the ‘now’ than the future.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers haven’t gone all the way yet, so the onus is on management to keep building a contender around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. If the team falls short, support has to be found to give the team a better shot the next time around.

Edmonton’s forward group seems to be in a solid position, especially with the addition of Connor Brown. The goaltending is flawed, but there isn’t much management can do about that because of the Jack Campbell contract. So that turns the focus to defense, an area that hasn’t seen much change since season’s end.

While the left side has a lot more stability, especially after the Ekholm trade, the right side doesn’t thrill enough behind Evan Bouchard with Cody Ceci and Vincent Desharnais. So maybe Edmonton should be in the market for Pesce.

The problem more than anything is cap space. Bouchard isn’t even signed yet, and he’s in for a big raise this summer. The space, especially with retention, could probably be found for Pesce this upcoming year. Anything after that would take work from management, though. But maybe that’s a problem to punt to another day. Like Toronto, the pressure is on now and the Oilers probably shouldn’t run it back with the same defensive group. So, this is a short-term bet that can help this upcoming season, with the potential for more depending on how the year proceeds and the cap gets worked out.

Data via Evolving-Hockey, HockeyViz, Dom Luszczyszyn, AllThreeZones, CapFriendly and NaturalStatTrick. This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer on these numbers.

(Photo: Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images)