Devils Lose Veteran Defenseman to Upper-Body Injury

Good news has not been delivered for Brett Pesce and the New Jersey Devils, as the Devils will be without the key defenseman for around one month or longer.

In the opening frame period of New Jersey’s win over the Colorado Avalanche, Pesce blocked a shot toward the end of the opening frame. That was after he took a high stick to the face at the hands of Martin Necas. While he didn't initially get taken out of the game, he eventually did not return. The game ended up being a 4-3 overtime win for New Jersey.

Team reporter Amanda Stein revealed that his expected timeline shows him missing a least a month due to what head coach Sheldon Keefe has since said to be an upper body injury.

How Will the New Jersey Devils Adjust Without Brett Pesce?

Pesce is known being paired with young blueliner Luke Hughes. The pair has been the 14th-best pairing in terms of scoring chance percentage.

Update on Brett Pesce is that he is expected to miss at least a month.#NJDevils HC Sheldon Keefe said post-game on Sunday that it’s an upper body injury.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 28, 2025

Pesce, 30, was signed as a free agent by New Jersey back in July, 2024. He has 218 total points (42 goals, 176 assists) on his career. He had tallied three points this year prior to his injury.

His deal is for six-years and $33 million overall with a $5.5 million cap hit.

If Pesce is going to miss time, Seamus Casey is the likely first guy up. Casey is a Michigan Wolverines alum was drafted by New Jersey as the No. 46 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Pesce finished the 2024-25 season with eight points across 14 games played.

The Devils have also placed forward Cody Glass (lower-body) on Injured Reserve. In a corresponding move, the club has activated forward Juho Lammikko from IR; he is slated to make his debut at the Avalanche after being signed as a free agent this past offseason.

Jacob Markstrom is also expected to start after having missed the team’s last six games while dealing with a lower-body injury. The 6'6" netminder has a 2-2-1 record this season with a 3.89 goals-against average and an .845 save percentage.

The Avalanche currently have a 5-1-4 overall record compared to New Jersey's 8-1-0. The Devils also had star Jack Hughes named one of the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending on Oct. 26. Hughes also has 12 points in the Devils' first nine games — putting together a stretch of seven goals and two assists in his most recent five games

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