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This Brett Pesce statistic will truly shock fans

Brett Pesce had a rough second season with the New Jersey Devils, as almost everyone did. However, seeing how truly bad it was is insane.
ByNick Villano|
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New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce (22) skates with the puck past Minnesota Wild right wing Danila Yurov (22) during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce (22) skates with the puck past Minnesota Wild right wing Danila Yurov (22) during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New Jersey Devils had a ton of issues last season, but the biggest issue was that the defense fell off a cliff. Yes, Jacob Markstrom was terrible, and there were times when the offense disappeared, but the biggest issue was that a talented and expensive defense was not playing up to the level expected of them. 

One of the biggest issues was injuries. Jonas Siegenthaler and Brenden Dillon both played 82 games, but the rest of the defense all missed significant time. Johnny Kovacevic missed the first half of the season recovering from a torn ACL in the playoffs a year before. Luke Hughes suffered multiple shoulder injuries in what was a lost season. Dougie Hamilton missed time, as did Simon Nemec. 

The one that really hurt was Brett Pesce. He suffered an injury in October after blocking a shot. Then, he suffered a lower-body injury in March. 

It wasn’t just the injuries, however. It was what the injuries caused. He looked like a completely different player than healthy Pesce. 

And that led to a bad statistical season. Pesce was on the ice for 26 goals against at even strength. He was on the ice for just 15 5v5 goals.  

Brett Pesce has to be better for the New Jersey Devils next season

That latter number is the lowest amount of goals scored for a defenseman who’s played at least 500 minutes at 5v5 last season. Think about this. Fifteen goals over the whole season! 

And this is where we really learn about what went wrong with the defense. The Devils' defense was not helping the offense at all, and that cannot be overlooked. In 2026, defense can’t just play defense. The Devils already have Dillon, Siegenthaler, and Kovacevic who are defense-first defensemen. Pesce cannot be that guy, too. 

If the Devils get a much better version of Pesce next season, that might be the difference between a lottery team and a playoff one. With the Devils’ three-goalie situation, they will need to score goals. The defense has to be up to the standards that come with their contracts. Pesce has largely gotten a pass, but he needs to be better next season. 

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