Send a message to the Carolina Hurricanes group chat before exiting it.
Check.
Secure a residence in New Jersey for the upcoming season.
Check.
After ticking off some necessary items on his to-do list, New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce is enjoying the remaining weeks of his summer in his hometown of Tarrytown, New York, before he drives down to Hoboken for the start of the 2024-25 season.
After nine years of playing for the Hurricanes, the team that drafted him, the 29-year-old signed a massive six-year contract worth $33,000,000 with the Devils.
“I loved my time in Carolina,” Pesce said on Morning Cuppa Hockey. “They were my first choice, obviously, if everything worked out. From a financial standpoint, it did not work, which is fine; it is all good; it is the nature of the beast. I wanted to be home. I am a homebody. My family is from here: grandparents, friends, you name it.
“Then I looked at the Devils. I looked at their roster, how young they are, how talented they are. Then I saw they got (Jacob) Markstrom, and I was just like, wow, they are good,” he continued. “They are so young, so they are only going to get better. When they were calling, it was a no-brainer for me.”
Pesce was previously a teammate of Dougie Hamilton, Erik Haula, and Stefan Noesen. Regarding which of his new teammates he is excited to meet once training camp begins, he named another defenseman who signed with New Jersey as a free agent on July 1.
“I am excited to meet (Brenden Dillon),” Pesce said. “I am really close with Brent Burns, and he played with Dillon in San Jose for a while. He was just telling me what a good guy he is. Also, my roommate in college, Trevor van Riemsdyk, played with him in Washington. (I’ve heard) nothing but great things, and I have been texting him a little bit, and I am definitely excited to meet him.”
Pesce and Dillon may be joining a new team, but when training camp begins, every player will get a fresh start because of first-year head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Knowing that it will be an even playing field at camp for every player provided comfort to Pesce, who will be learning a new routine.
“My agent, Judd Moldaver, is super close with Keefe and has had nothing but good things to say. To be honest, that also influences your decisions, too,” Pesce said. “If the coach has a good reputation, it makes your life a lot easier to play for him, and you will want to play for him. (Keefe and I) have had some conversations about how we are both kind of doing this together as the new guys.”
The veteran defenseman shared that he received jerseys from the organization, and when he opened them, he got goosebumps, saying, “It is the coolest thing ever.”
“Obviously, I was a New York Rangers fan growing up, but I would still go to games at the Rock,” he said. “It is such a cool place. It is definitely going to be surreal those first few games at the Prudential Center.”
The Devils will begin the 2024-25 campaign overseas in Prague, Czechia, as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series. Pesce’s first game at Prudential Center will be on Oct. 10 when New Jersey hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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