Oilers Have Competition to Acquire Hurricanes' Brett Pesce

The Edmonton Oilers are one of many teams currently connected to Brett Pesce.

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The Edmonton Oilers have been linked to Brett Pesce all summer. It makes sense, as he would provide them with a much-needed upgrade on the right side of their defensive group. However, several other teams have this same need, and interest in the 28-year-old's services should naturally be high because of it.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Shayna Goldman listed the Oilers, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, and Dallas Stars as teams who "should be interested" in Pesce.

At different points in the off-season, each of these teams has been connected to Pesce. It is understandable when noting that they each need a top-four, right-shot defenseman. As a result, the Oilers likely have plenty of competition for Pesce's services if they truly hope to acquire him.

There is no question that Pesce would be an outstanding addition to the Oilers' group. He plays an immensely steady defensive game, chips in occasionally offensively, and is an elite penalty-killer. He would be a perfect replacement for Cody Ceci in their top four and make the Oilers look far better on paper. Yet, with these other teams also standing out as potential spots for him and the Oilers having limited cap space, there is no guarantee that he will be Edmonton bound.

We will need to wait and see what happens with Pesce from here. On paper, he is a perfect fit for the Oilers, but these other clubs also have the assets to bring him in. Furthermore, with Carolina being legitimate contenders, perhaps he could even stay put.