The Devils added Brett Pesce this offseason to improve a defense group that underachieved last season. It’s only been a few games, but he’s been just what the Devils have needed him to be.
The New Jersey Devils biggest moves from this past summer were on the back end to bolster a group that badly underachieved last season. Brett Pesce was viewed as the biggest addition to the blue line, however his season start would be delayed due to offseason surgery. While the team initially got off to a hot start without him, some woes arose and things started to look bleak. Pesce would then arrive as reinforcement alongside Luke Hughes, and since both have returned, the Devils have gone 2-1-1, with the two wins coming in the most recent pair of games. There was some adjustment returning from injury, but so far, Pesce has looked to be exactly the type of players that the Devils needed.
In his season debut, the Devils eased Pesce in with only 17:33 of ice time. They immediately upped it to be over 21 minutes per game in each of the other three contests he’s played in so far. Part of this was due to some of the other players who had been overused or miscast in their roles. The other part was that Pesce was added to the team because he’s a legitimately good defender, and the Devils were struggling without him to defend. As Pesce gained more ice time, the Devils started to perform better. He’s not the only reason, but his play is one of the reasons why the Devils have outscored opposing teams 12-2 in the last couple of games.
The advanced statistics back up Pesce being a positive impact on the team. In the Anaheim game, according to Natural Stat Trick, he and Luke Hughes held a 17-3 shot attempts advantage, as well as being on the ice for 7 shots for and ZERO against. It’s not just the statistics, it’s the eye test as well. Even the broadcasters are calling out moments where Pesce uses his stick to knock a puck out of the air and stop an opposing rush. He’s also good about separating players from the puck, clearing the crease and getting the puck moving in the correct direction. There were struggles in all of those areas without him, and even greater struggles with those last season, which necessitated him being brought in in the first place.
Now we all know that players are bound to have bad games, and I’m sure there’s a few that will be in Pesce’s future. Heck, some might be complaining already about a lack of points being contributed by Pesce for the amount he makes. He’s been a decent point producer in the past, but that’s not the role he needs to fill on the Devils; there are others on the back end (Hamilton, Luke, heck I’ll even throw Kovacevic in here because he’s been producing) that can be leaned out for points. The team needs players that help keep dangerous pucks away from goalies and push the play up the ice for the team to score. Pesce has been successful in doing that.
I’m not going to anoint him a franchise savior, but the impact Brett Pesce has had has been tangible. There were many fans and pundits that touted him as “an upgraded John Marino” this offseason, and I think based on watching him cut down on passing lanes and clear pucks, that’s a fair assessment. Defending didn’t get the job last season; this season the objective was to be back in the playoffs. If the last couple of games with a healthy, adjusted Pesce are what the team begins to look like on a regular basis, then things might be brighter than they appeared to be as little as a week or so ago.
What are your thoughts on the play of Brett Pesce so far; do you think he’s been as good for the team as I stated? What parts of his game have impressed you? What do you think he needs to do better? Do you believe he has been one of the stabilizing sources over the last few games? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!