Is Brett Pesce Off the Table for the Nashville Predators?
The rumors were swirling a few weeks ago linking Nashville to Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce. Now that Carolina seems to be signing Tony DeAngelo, is Pesce off the table?
Is Brett Pesce Off the Table for the Nashville Predators?After a flurry of moves on the opening day of free agency, Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz has slowed his roll when it comes to roster changes. The additions of Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist bolster an offense that will look very different from last season after the losses of Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen and a focus on developing younger players like Luke Evangelista and Cody Glass.
Trotz also brought in defenseman Luke Schenn who played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs last season. The plan seems to be to use Schenn to add an element of physicality and grit to the blue line. The changes in 2022-23 that added Ryan McDonagh and Tyson Barrie give Nashville more veteran experience, but could there be room for one more addition with Brett Pesce?
The Carolina Hurricanes were rumored to be shopping Pesce who is entering the final year of his six year, $24,150,000 million dollar deal. The 28 year old blue liner has a 15 team list. According to David Pagnotta at The Fourth Period, the Nashville Predators are on that list and were at one point rumored to be in on conversations about Pesce. Pesce is a top six defender coming off his best offensive season.
The Hurricanes would like to keep Pesce on their roster, but according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Canes have been one of two teams remaining in the Erik Karlsson chase. This afternoon however, Frank Seravalli broke the news that the Hurricanes are closing in on a deal with defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
If the Hurricanes do finalize a contract with DeAngelo, it is likely they are out on Erik Karlsson. Carolina can sign DeAngelo without moving a piece to create cap space like they would need to do with Karlsson big contract - even if San Jose retained a chunk of Karlsson's salary. The DeAngelo move may mean Don Waddell keeps Brett Pesce on the roster for one more season before he becomes a UFA in 2024.
Pesce would be an interesting piece for the Predators' blue line, but with $30 million dollars already tied up in defender contracts, it is likely that Barry Trotz will go with the roster he has. Now that Carolina may be moving away from the pricey Karlsson deal, it looks like Brett Pesce is off the board for the Nashville Predators.