Devils Defenseman to Miss Home Opener with Injury, Timeline Unclear

The New Jersey Devils’ plan for newly acquired defenseman, Brett Pesce, was that he would make his season and Devils debut at the Prudential Center for the home opener. However, things have changed. Pesce, who had offseason surgery, will not play with the Toronto Maple Leafs in town.

Pesce had surgery this summer to repair a fractured fibula he suffered during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round against the New York Islanders.

The 29-year-old defenseman explained after signing a six-year contract with the Devils that he should be fully recovered for the start of training camp.

“I’m about three weeks post-surgery now, so it’s getting better every day,” said Pesce. “I should be good to go by camp, for sure.”

Pesce didn’t travel to Prague as a means to continue his recovery. The veteran defenseman remained back in Newark, New Jersey to continue his on-ice training.

Although Pesce was on the ice in a regular practice sweater on Wednesday and was seemingly a full participant, he did not take reps during line drills.

After practice, head coach Sheldon Keefe explained that although the plan was to have Pesce ready for the home opener, he and Luke Hughes — which was expected for the latter — are still not close.

“[Pesce and Hughes’] status is the same,” Keefe explained Tuesday morning. “They’re just going to be continuing to work. Obviously different injuries. They will be able to do different things out there, but neither player’s ready.”

After what appeared to be an optimistic timeline that Pesce would be ready sooner-than-later, his timeline remains unclear, although the fact that he’s in a regular practice jersey would indicate he’s not that far off.

We’ll see how this plays out.

For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

Follow us on 𝕏:

@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL, @NickNatale10

And on Threads:

@JamesNicholsNHL