New Jersey Devils defenceman Brett Pesce will miss at least a month after sustaining a lower-body injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters on Tuesday.
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, sustained the injury during the team’s 4-3 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday after blocking a shot from Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns in the first period.
He skated 6:07 in the game with a minus-1 rating.
The 6-foot-3 right shot defenceman appeared in nine games this season, recording three assists with a plus-3 rating while averaging 19:39 of ice time.
Pesce joined the Devils on a six-year, $33 million deal in July of 2024 with a $5.5 million cap hit.
Drafted 66th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013, Pesce has 42 goals and 218 points in 708 career games split between the Hurricanes and Devils.
Markstrom returns
Jacob Markstrom will return to the lineup when the Devils take on the Avalanche on Tuesday night.
Jacob Markstrom is expected to start tonight against the Avs, making his return to the #NJDevils lineup.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 28, 2025
Markstrom, 35, missed the team’s last six games while dealing with a lower-body injury.
The 6-foot-6 netminder has a 2-2-1 record this season with a 3.89 goals-against average and an .845 save percentage.
Jake Allen had taken the starting reins with Markstrom out with injury. He went 5-0-0 in that time frame with a .915 save percentage and 1.64 goals-against average.
