UPDATE (4:30 p.m. 10/25/23): The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that defenseman Brett Pesce had surgery on Tuesday to correct a lower-body injury. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.
ORIGINAL (2:15 p.m. 10/25/23): Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour stated after practice on Wednesday that defenseman Brett Pesce could miss significant time due to his injury.
Pesce last played on Oct. 19 against the Seattle Kraken but was ruled out just before puck drop on Oct. 21 against the Colorado Avalanche with a lower-body injury.
He's been off the ice and out of the lineup since, but Brind'Amour stated that he was still being evaluated before Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Pesce's for sure out," Brind'Amour said on Tuesday. "He's not on the trip. I'm not sure about that one. He got checked yesterday again and there's some... I think we're still up in the air on how long he's going to be out."
However, it seems that another update has since come in and it was not a good one.
"Bad news there," Brind'Amour said on Pesce's evaluation. "I was hoping to say he's a day or two away, but that's definitely not the case. I can't tell you more than that. I just know it's not what we had hoped."
When asked if he would say Pesce's status would be more week-to-week, Brind'Amour said, "I'd say way more than that."
Pesce and partner Brady Skjei averaged the most even-strength ice time on the team and also got the second-most penalty kill time.
According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Pesce and Skjei had been on the ice for five goals for and only two against at even strength, which was by far the best rate on the team.
In addition, the pair allowed the fewest chances against, goals against and expected goals against per 60 minutes of ice time.
Losing Pesce, who's in the last year of a six-year, $24.15 million contract, for a long stretch would be a significant blow to a Hurricanes team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
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