Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Brett Pesce underwent surgery to correct a lower-body injury on Tuesday and is expected to miss two to four weeks, the club announced.
The injury, which has kept Pesce out of the lineup for the past two games, was more serious than originally thought after the 28-year-old was re-evaluated by the team.
"Bad news. I was hoping he'd be a day or two away, but that's definitely not the case," head coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters earlier on Wednesday. "It's not good."
Through five games this season, Pesce averaged 19:20 on ice, scoring a goal and an assist. In 2022-23, the native of Tarrytown, N.Y., didn't miss a single game, registering five goals and 30 points, averaging 20 minutes per game.
With the Hurricanes are still missing sniper Andrei Svechnikov to a lower-body injury, this Pesce injury is yet another blow for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
The Hurricanes are off to a difficult start, in fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-4-0 record.
