While the world surrounding the Montreal Canadiens are mostly focused on Shane Wright and the NHL Draft along with side eyes on the Laval Rocket and their playoff run, the Jeff Petry trade rumors still won’t go away.
Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff stirred some more rumors and posted a trade bait article and listed Petry. In this list he mentions that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been linked to the Canadiens and would be interested in the services of the defenceman should they be unable to come to a contract extension agreement with pending UFA Kristopher Letang.
TRADE TARGETS 🎯: #Blackhawks 41-goal scorer Alex DeBrincat leads off the first board of the summer as the No. 1 player available.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 9, 2022
Here are @DailyFaceoff's 25 names in play with exactly 5 weeks until the #NHLDraft:https://t.co/JTDhFISc45
Shea Weber’s contract also appears on this list which isn’t a surprise. Josh Anderson also appears on the list but as Seravalli was quick to point out, the Canadiens would need a Godfather offer that they cannot refuse in order to move Powerhorse.
As for Petry, well it won’t take much for the Canadiens to accept a deal. Given his $6.25 million cap hit, it would likely only take a 2nd or 3rd round pick to move the defender and maybe a salary up front to even things out financially. In Pittsburgh, a bottom six forward like Teddy Blueger might make things work as he has one year left on his deal with a $2.2 million cap hit. Granted the Canadiens have a boatload of similar players, but it might be required to unload the heavy contract going the other way.
Olivier Paiement from the French site danslescoulisses.com went as far as suggesting the Canadiens should attempt a sign and trade deal involving Petry and Letang. I disagree given the direction of the team but I can see how it can somehow make sense for both teams.
Also worth noting is Petry’s 15-team no trade list and it is unknown if Pittsburgh is part of said list.
Petry’s end of season performances did somewhat salvage what was a disastrous year on and off the ice. However, his age, contract and off-ice comments didn’t do him any favors. That being said, his resume is what saves him and will likely give him a chance to continue his NHL career with another team.
The bottom line is that the Canadiens are in fact a better team with Jeff Petry on their roster. Facing a rebuild though, having a player on the wrong side of 30 making $6 million doesn’t make any sense no matter how you look at it.
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