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NHL Rumors: $24,150,000 Brett Pesce may leave Carolina Hurricanes after father's now-deleted tweet
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce’s father Brian shared a post on X after their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Brian’s now-deleted tweet suggested that his son might be leaving the team this summer.
In the now-deleted post, Brian Pesce thanked the Hurricanes' fans for supporting his family and said he would miss everyone. It may have implied a possible move for Brett, who is set to become a free agent.
“Thank you CANIACS for always being good to myself and the Pesce family!” Brian Pesce wrote. “Will certainly miss all of you! GO CANES," the deleted tweet read.
The Hurricanes defenseman was in the final year of his $24,150,000 contract signed with the club and is now expected to be a free agent unless an extension is agreed upon. Brett Pesce played only two games this postseason before suffering a non-contact injury during Game 2 against the New York Islanders.
The timing of the post and its subsequent deletion have raised questions about the player’s future in Carolina. It seems his father revealed information prematurely or unintentionally about Brett Pesce's move away from the team.
Brett Pesce can draw interest from the Toronto Maple Leafs: Reports
According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, Pesce's potential contract demands might be too high for the Hurricanes, and if he enters free agency, several teams, including the Maple Leafs, would be interested in signing him.
Given the lucrative contracts awarded to UFAs like Vladislav Gavrikov and Damon Severson in 2023, Fox suggests Pesce could command a long-term contract with an average annual value (AAV) of around $6 million or more.
“Pesce may well be pricing himself out. And if he does hit the open market, the Maple Leafs will be one of many teams lining up,” Luke Fox said (via TheLeafsNation).
Pesce has expressed his openness to extending his contract with the Hurricanes, the team that drafted him in 2013. However, with several key players on expiring deals (Guentzel, Martin Necas, Brady Skjei, Tony DeAngelo, and Teuvo Teravainen) and the organization's financial considerations, the Hurricanes' general manager Don Waddell faces tough decisions.
“The player is on record saying he’d welcome an extension with the club that drafted him back in 2013. But with Guentzel, Martin Necas, Brady Skjei, Tony DeAngelo, and Teuvo Teravainen all on expiring deals, Waddell has plenty of difficult decisions to make for his cash-conscious organization," Fox added.
Fox mentioned that rumors about teams showing interest in Pesce or the Hurricanes considering trading him have become common in Carolina due to his valuable attributes as a right-shot, penalty-killing, shutdown defenseman with a consistent performance record.
Luke Fox ranked Brett Pesce as the eighth-best player expected to become available in free agency, and he's considered the second-best defenseman behind Florida’s Brandon Montour.
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