22 Brett Pesce D

Pesce has undergone surgery on his injured right shoulder and will be sidelined for 4-to-6 months.

This news won't impact many fantasy lineups, but it represents a huge blow to the Hurricanes, as Pesce has been a fantastic top-four option for Carolina throughout the campaign, picking up 18 points and a plus-7 rating while averaging 21:53 of ice time in 61 games. The 25-year-old blueliner will now shift his focus to healing up in time for training camp in September.

Pesce is expected to miss significant time after sustaining a shoulder injury, Michael Smith of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

In the immediate aftermath of Pesce's injury, coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters the team was not expecting it to be a short-term absence and doubled down on that stance Monday. The Hurricanes were already expected to be in the market for a blueliner, though injuries to Petr Mrazek (concussion) and James Reimer (lower body) could complicate matters for general manager Don Waddell.

Pesce (upper body) may be out awhile, Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reports.

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour suggested Pesce's injury may be a long-term situation during his post-game comments. Pesce was injured in the second period of Saturday's game against the Maple Leafs. The Hurricanes will likely need to recall a blueliner from AHL Charlotte prior to Tuesday's game against the Stars -- Pesce's injury leaves them with only five healthy defensemen.

Pesce (upper body) will not return to Saturday's game versus Toronto.

Pesce was unable to return after going down in Saturday's contest. He'll be re-evaluated after the game and could return for Tuesday's game if the injury isn't too serious.

Pesce recorded two assists, three shots on goal, two PIM and a plus-4 rating in Friday's 5-2 win over the Devils.

Pesce helped out on tallies by Warren Foegele and Joel Edmundson to snap his personal seven-game point drought. Through 57 games, Pesce has 18 points, 99 shots and 84 blocked shots this season. While his career-high 29 points from last year isn't out of reach, the 25-year-old would need a surge down the stretch to match that level of production.

Pesce (hand) was able to return to the bench in the third period of Sunday's game against Vancouver, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer reports.

Pesce needed stitches for the cut on his hand, but he was able to come back out of the locker room and rejoin his teammates.

Pesce had to go to the locker room in the second period of Sunday's game against Vancouver and was bleeding from his hand, Michael Smith of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

It wasn't clear what forced the bleeding from Pesce's hand, but he may have taken a puck to that area. He hurriedly made his way to the locker room for treatment, leaving the Hurricanes with five defensemen at the moment. Pesce's return should be considered questionable at this time.

Pesce dished out an assist in Sunday's 2-1 shootout win over the Islanders.

Pesce set up Andrei Svechnikov for the game's opening goal. The 25-year-old Pesce now has 16 points this year, and while he doesn't have a ton of fantasy value, he contributes well with 86 shots on net and 71 blocked shots.

Pesce notched an assist and three shots on goal in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Capitals.

Pesce has found a groove on offense with a goal and three helpers in his last five outings. The defenseman only has 14 points in 41 games this season, but he's added 76 shots and 63 blocked shots to round out his stat line.

Pesce tallied a goal on three shots with a hit and block in a 5-3 loss to the Rangers on Friday.

It was a decent night for Pesce, who has two points in the last two games. This is just one of many balanced fantasy performances he's turned in this season. He has four goals, 12 points, a plus-3 rating, 18 PIM, 69 shots, 63 blocks and 15 hits in 38 games during 2019-20.

Pesce snapped a nine-game pointless streak with an assist in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Flames.

Pesce now has just 10 points in 33 games, which shouldn't come as a huge surprise since his main area of responsibility continues to be taking care of business in his own end. He is also called on to kill a lot of penalties, as evidenced by his shorthanded TOI of 3:07, currently highest on the team. Still, for a guy who isn't expected to score much, he should still finish the season somewhere in the 20-25 point range, giving him modest fantasy value in deeper formats.

Pesce scored a goal on four shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Panthers.

Following a brutal four-week stretch that saw him register just a single point in 12 games, Pesce now his five in his last six. He is still primarily a defense-first blueliner and doesn't see any power-play time, so expect his scoring to continue to be sporadic at best. That said, he's still on pace to crack the 30-point mark for the first time in his career.

Pesce failed to register a point for the seventh time in eight games Friday against the Red Wings, giving him just four points in 13 games this season.

After falling just short of the 30-point plateau last season (7G, 22A), Pesce will be lucky to crack 20 points this year given his current pace. He's still seeing a decent amount of ice time (21:40 average TOI) playing on the Canes' second defensive pairing with Jake Gardiner. However, he is spending more time on the penalty kill so far this season (3:26 vs. 2:30 last season), which will limit his chances to contribute offensively. His fantasy value remains limited to very deep formats.

Pesce scored a goal on a team-high six shots and blocked three shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

Pesce made it 2-1 in the first period, converting on a feed from Andrei Svechnikov. The 24-year-old defender has gotten involved in the offense early on, starting the year with a pair of goals and a helper in five games. He's also been a friend of his goalies, racking up 14 blocked shots. The two-way contributions could make for a solid addition in deeper formats if Pesce can keep the scoring going.

Pesce scored a goal and blocked three shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning.

Pesce opened the scoring just 1:14 into regulation off a pass from Brock McGinn. The 24-year-old blueliner isn't known for his goal-scoring prowess with no more than seven goals in each of the last four seasons, and he normally earns his keep in the defensive zone. Pesce blocked 131 shots last year, and he already has 10 blocked shots through three contests.

Pesce provided three helpers and eight blocked shots in four games against the Islanders in the second round.

Pesce matched his scoring production from the first round in three fewer games, giving him six assists through 11 contests in the postseason. He's gone plus-8 with 23 blocked shots in the playoffs, contributing respectably at both ends of the ice.

Pesce dished two assists in Wednesday's 4-3 double-overtime win over the Capitals in Game 7 of their first-round series.

The 'Canes found themselves down 2-0 before the first period was over, but Pesce helped the club begin its comeback in the second, notching helpers on each of Carolina's first two tallies. The blueliner wrapped up the first round with only three points, all assists, but they came in the final two contests. Pesce will try to carry that momentum into the conference semifinals, which kick off Friday against the Islanders.

Pesce delivered an assist in Monday's series-tying win over the Capitals for Game 6.

Pesce had his shot tipped in by Justin Williams with 8:02 remaining in the third period, and it would hold up as the game's final goal. This was the first point of the series for the American rearguard, but his overall two-way play has been on point for most of the season. Pesce accumulated seven goals, 22 assists and a sterling plus-35 rating over 73 regular-season contests, with the only obvious downside being his exclusion from the power play.

Pesce notched his seventh goal of the season in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Wild. He also posted a season-high plus-5 rating, along with two shots on goal, two hits, two blocked shots and a pair of penalty minutes.

It was a solid fantasy outing for the stay-at-home defender, who's now up to a career-best 26 points in 65 games. Perhaps even more impressive is Pesce's plus-33 rating, tops on the team and fourth-highest in the NHL, and that's on a team whose goal differential is only plus-18. Pesce may not be an elite fantasy commodity, but it's easy to see why the Canes locked him up with a six-year contract extension two years ago.

Pesce picked up an assist in a 3-0 win over the Avalanche on Monday.

Pesce has only been held off the scoresheet once in his last six games, accumulating a goal and six helpers in that span. He's also recorded a plus-7 rating in those games. Pesce has a career-high 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 60 games this season.