Insider: Hurricanes Will Need "Significant Improvement" In Offer To Re-Sign Pesce

Pending unrestricted free agent Brett Pesce spent various parts of the offseason hearing his name mentioned in trade talks, as he and the Carolina Hurricanes failed to make progress on an extension. 

The star defenseman's 6-year, $24M contract expires at season's end, and he's looking for a hefty raise from the $4.25M AAV he's been playing on. 

According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, the Canes will have to make a "significant improvement" on their most recent offer. 

In the summer, the Hurricanes were looking to get Pesce inked to a deal worth in the $4 million to $5 million range. That simply won’t work. 

Pesce would like to stay in Raleigh, but he wants a competitive salary and I suspect that will cost the Hurricanes closer to $7 million on a six-to-eight-year contract.

The team certainly wants to keep the 28-year-old around for the long term, but they'll have to make a "significant improvement" in their offer to do so. 

Nevertheless, Pagnotta notes, there are absolutely no plans to trade Pesce if an extension can't be reached. And he adds that talks are still "amicable" and they continue on into the season. So there's still hope that something here gets done. 

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