Canadiens Final Report Card: Defenceman Jeff Petry

In his first full-season with the Canadiens, Jeff Petry provided much needed stability and insurance to the 2nd defensive pairing.

For 5 seasons, Jeff Petry was the best defenceman on some bad Edmonton Oiler teams. Due to that, he was constantly shrugged off by experts as being just an “okay” defender. That was all before a 2015 deadline trade that brought Petry to the Canadiens. In the year-plus that he has been with the Canadiens, he has proven everyone wrong about his abilities and has fully established himself as the perfect anchor on the 2nd pairing.

Jeff Petry – Defenceman

Games Played: 51

Goals-Assists-Points: 5-11-16

Petry will never wow anyone with his offensive game but that is not what the Canadiens pay him to do. Petry’s game is all about shutting down opposition forwards while being a steadying influence on the teams 2nd defensive pairing. And that is exactly why Marc Bergevin targeted him at the 2015 trade deadline and why he committed 6 years to Petry last June.

More from A Winning Habit

Petry began the 2015-16 season firmly entrenched as the Canadiens right-handed option on the second defensive pairing. He began the year alongside Alexei Emelin and the duo had instant chemistry as the team’s primary shutdown unit. Petry’s strong positioning allowed Emelin to return to his well-known physical style of play which elevated the Russian’s play and confidence.

Upon Emelin’s early season injury, in which he missed two weeks, Petry was paired with Nathan Beaulieu. Once again, Petry’s steady play and calming influence helped him elevate his defensive partner. Even when Emelin came back, Petry and Beaulieu remained together before further roster moves and injuries shifted the defensive pairings even more. Petry also saw time with Mark Barberio.

A lot of Petry’s contributions don’t generally show up on the scoresheet. For instance, he has never been one to drive possession for his teams and the metrics reflect that. This past season, Petry posted an exact 0.0 Corsi Relative. Not good but not bad and that is generally how he has rated through his career.

On a more positive and slightly under-rated note, are his overall contributions to the team. Using the Point Share system, Petry was worth 2.8 points in 2015-16. That number may not be flashy, however, he did post that rating despite playing just 51 games. If he kept that pace over a full 82 game season, Petry would have been well on his way to posting a 4.5 Point Share season, which would have been a career high.

Going even deeper and breaking things down on a pure offensive and pure defensive standpoints, Petry was pacing himself to surpass his career highs in Offensive and Defensive Point shares. Offensively, Petry’s ability to find his teammates and hold the blueline contributed to his strong Offensive Point Share. He was also solid enough to be a reliable contributor on the 2nd power play unit.

Defensively, Petry proved once again why he was worth his new contract. Not only was he able to be a steadying influence to his defensive partners, Petry also exhibited a strong first pass which allowed him to be one of the more capable zone-exit players on the Canadiens.

Next: Canadiens Final Report Card: Max Pacioretty

However, Petry’s season was cut short due to a hernia injury, which ultimately cost him the final 31 games of the season. So, in order to grade Petry’s season, we do have to look at the games he actually played and not what he was on pace for.

Saying that, Petry’s presence elevated the play of anyone playing next to him. While his numbers don’t jump out at you on paper, he was a very important piece to the team and played up to his contract in his first (nearly) full-season with the Canadiens.

Final Grade: B

Home/Editorials