The Carolina Hurricanes had a number of unrestricted free agents all coming up for the 2024 offseason and they couldn't bring them all back. They needed to make a decision on blue liner Brett Pesce, and it seems the decision was to let him walk as Chris Johnston reported that Pesce is on his way to New Jersey:

It was a down year for Pesce in 2023-24 with three goals and 13 points in 70 games, but he did manage 107 shots and 113 blocks, so there is some multi-cat value. Let's break down what this means.

What New Jersey Gets

First and foremost, Pesce is a defensive presence in every sense of the word. Via HockeyViz, we can see his impact in the defensive zone at even strength (bottom left, a negative number is good) and on the penalty kill (bottom right, a negative number is good) are both very solid:

Pesce is proficient at holding his defensive blue line and limiting chances using his positioning, both his body and his stick. That kind of blue liner should make life a lot easier on new top goaltender Jacob Markstrom. With a healthy Dougie Hamilton and a year of experience from Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, not to mention a hopeful rebound from Jonas Siegenthaler, this is starting to look like a blue line that can do a little bit of everything. In some ways, it reminds me of what the Dallas Stars blue line looked like towards the end of the 2023-24 regular season with Chris Tanev. It might be lofty, but I think that's their potential, at least. It could make Markstrom the most appealing New Jersey fantasy hockey goalie in over a decade.

We should expect a Pesce rebound, production-wise, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him double his 2023-24 points output. Last season, he registered a point on just 22.4% of goals scored with him on the ice at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick. His three-year average prior to that was 37.1%. Had he managed that last season, he would have had 22 points, so it seems 25-point potential is in the cards. With modest peripherals, that can be a useful player in deeper multi-cat formats (non-salary cap, of course).

The biggest impact of this signing, beyond the defence he can bring for Markstrom, is the void left behind in Carolina. This leaves a clear path for Jalen Chatfield to jump up to the second pair and he had 22 points last season while skating 15:12 per night. If he's in the 19- to 20-minute range? It seems plausible that 30 points and 100 shots are on the table with a block and a hit per game. It does make Carolina's penalty kill a bit worse, though they seem able to plug-and-play nearly anyone and make it work.

This also gives New Jersey a security blanket for Nemec, though it also caps his minutes upside and without a top PP role, a big point-producing season seems unlikely.

Who This Helps

Jalen Chatfield

Jacob Markstrom

Brett Pesce

Who This Hurts

Simon Nemec

Carolina Goaltending

Jonathan Kovacevic