It was year number eight with the Hurricanes for Brett Pesce, as the now-veteran defenseman continued to be an anchor on the blue line for Carolina.
Pesce — in his third season alongside partner Brady Skjei — did a lot of what has made him a commodity defensively again this past season. That pairing was 18th in the NHL (minimum 300 minutes together) during the regular season in expected goals against per 60 minutes, and they were 13th in xGoals% at 57.1%. They were also top 15 in unblocked shot attempts against per 60 and eighth in unblocked shot attempts for % at 58.