The Carolina Hurricanes welcomed back long-time staple Brett Pesce Saturday night to a standing ovation in the blueliners first game back in Raleigh since signing a six-year, $33 million deal with the New Jersey Devils this offseason.

Pesce, 30, played nine seasons and 627 games for the Hurricanes, the eighth most in franchise history.

The 2013 third-round pick first made the team as a callup in the 2015-16 season and never looked back, becoming a top-four staple almost immediately.

The right-handed blueliner was a dominant defensive defenseman in Carolina and was really one of the more underrated players in the league. 

Although not a big offensive contributor, his 39 goals and 198 points were nothing to scoff at.

The Devils also had Pesce in the starting lineup to begin the game.