Brett Pesce gets 6-year deal, Hurricanes continue smart summer
Let’s say there’s a 22-year-old defenseman who had 20 points in 82 games last season with an outstanding plus-23, who also had a 54.1-percent Corsi rating at even strength.
Let’s say that he played the majority of his minutes with a 23-year-old defenseman, combining to create a rock-solid pairing that helped earn that other guy a seven-year investment from his team this summer.
Now, how would you go about rewarding our 22-year-old blueliner?
If you’re the Carolina Hurricanes, you give Brett Pesce a six-year deal that pays him $4.025 million per season beginning in 2018-19, as they did on Tuesday.
“Brett took another big step forward last season,” said GM Ron Francis. “He plays a smart defensive game and has good ability to move the puck and contribute offensively. We plan for him to be a part of the Hurricanes’ defensive corps for a long time.”
Speaking of that corps, here’s a look at it from Cap Friendly before the Pesce deal:
Keep in mind that Slavin is signed through 2025.
If you’re looking to build sustainable success, solidifying your collection of under-27 defensemen for the long-term is a great place to start. Slavin came in at $5.3 million annually over seven seasons. Pesce at $4.025 million annually over six seasons. It’ll be interesting to see what they end up doing with Noah Hanifin, given those deals.
Or, perhaps, they eventually deal from a position of strength to acquire a vital piece up front.
You know, like the defending Western Conference champions did …
Kudos to Francis, Mike Vellucci, Eric Tulsky and the rest of the Hurricanes front office on an impressive summer on the backend, from the Scott Darling acquisition to these deals for young defensemen.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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