This question is incredibly relevant given
Tuesday's news
of Brett Pesce's six-year extension, which cements the duo of Jaccob Slavin and Pesce - a legitimate top pairing in the NHL - for the next seven seasons.
To quote a Carolina great, "the ceiling is the roof" for these two and the Canes' entire defense. The team already boasts one of the most talented blue-line groups in the NHL, and they're only going to grow and improve from here.
"I think it's awesome and rare that our group of defensemen, we're all so close," Pesce said on a Wednesday conference call. "I think it just goes a long way to come into the league together - me, him and Noah - and grow as people and hockey players. That builds our chemistry off the ice."
General Manager Ron Francis and his staff have assembled a young core on defense that will likely soon see league-wide accolades. And they've done so without breaking the bank, even with the trio of Slavin, Pesce and Noah Hanifin coming off their entry-level contracts after this season. Slavin and Pesce are set to earn a combined average of $9.325 million in each of the six seasons they'll be under contract together. That's a whale of a deal, especially considering the singular average annual value of some of the league's top defensemen; PK Subban's contract, for instance, carries a $9 million cap hit alone.
The Slavin-Pesce pair has been one of the league's best-kept secrets. As Canes assistant coach Steve Smith told me last season, though, coaches are beginning to figure it out and shy their top lines away from that pairing. They're two budding defensive stalwarts, and to have them locked down for the next seven years (eight in Slavin's case) is tremendous for this team's long-term future.
"I know how much faith the organization has put in me with this deal," Pesce said. "I know that now is the time to get even better and work even harder to elevate my game."
