Canes remove key piece from their trading block

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Mike Armenti
September 22, 2023 (1:04 PM)

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Earlier this offseason, the Carolina Hurricanes surprised a lot of people when they placed top-4 defenseman Brett Pesce on the trading block. The move was made after Pesce had informed the team that he was unwilling to negotiate a new deal after July 1st had passed.

In the months since Pesce's deadline has passed, it looks as though the two sides have had a change of heart and would like to continue their working relationship, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has pointed out.

The decision to remove Pesce from the trading block has a lot to do with the Canes wanting to power through and win a Stanley Cup. Defense is a very important part of any championship team and there's no question that Pesce is great at what he does on the defensive side of the puck. In that sense, it certainly makes sense to keep him.

Part of me wonders whether the market for him was as good as the Canes hoped it would be. Pesce is entering the final year of a 6-year deal worth $4.025M per season. The 28-year-old is believed to be seeking a long-term deal that exceeds $6M per season. If other teams didn't want to pay his lofty asking price, then they'd be viewing him as a rental player, which would have decreased his trade value. If the Canes value the player more than the return they'd get, then it's a no-brainer to just keep him.

Pesce skated in all 82 games for Carolina last season, racking up 30 points (5 goals and 25 assists), which is pretty solid production for a shutdown defenseman.