Toronto Maple Leafs: A Hurricane To Call Ron Francis About
Brett Pesce isn’t a household name, but he’s a player worth taking a look at when it comes to finding a right-shot defender for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs want what a lot of teams are after – a good right-shot defender. Brett Pesce from the Carolina Hurricanes just might fit the bill.
Just because a player doesn’t appear in rumors doesn’t mean he cannot be acquired. Anyone can be had for the right price. It’s extremely difficult to acquire a top four defender, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Let’s take a look at some numbers for Pesce (prior to the 26th of January game).
pesce
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How do those numbers stack up against the other Hurricanes defenders?
CF Relative: 1st
TOI 5v5: 3rd (Hainsey/Slavin)
CA Relative: 1st
CF% Relative: 1st
Relative SF%: 1st
Relative GF%: 2nd (Slavin)
Relative SCF%: 1st
Pesce isn’t being carried, either. He’s more of a driver than a passenger, and only Jaccob Slavin sees tougher relative zone starts on the blueline.
Most of the talk out of Carolina is about Noah Hanifin, but Pesce is no slouch on the ice and has flown under the radar because of Hanifin as well as the general market he lies in.
The 6’3″, 200lb, defender happens to be a right shot and is only 22 years old – making him a player that, should he be able to sustain the positive play, could be part of the long-term solution in Toronto as well as the short-term.
He might be the player that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been searching for, and he’d likely come at a significantly less cost than a household name like Jacob Trouba. He’s at least worth taking more of a look at.
