Montreal Canadiens: Jeff Petry Trade Unlikely Until John Klingberg Signs

The Montreal Canadiens were expected to have traded Jeff Petry by now. If he got his with, he wouldn’t have been on the Habs roster by last Christmas.

The American born defender asked for a trade from the Canadiens last November, but hasn’t been granted his wish. At least not yet.

New Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes hasn’t been shy to state publicly that he will trade Petry when it makes sense for the Canadiens. He went so far as to say it is a “priority for the club” to move Petry this offseason.

Not only does it make sense to pull off the trade since Petry wants it, but the team actually needs to shed a few of the salary cap dollars they are committed to for next season. Petry, a 34 year old right defenceman with three years left on his contract at $6.25 million is logical trade bait.

The 2022-23 Canadiens don’t look like a juggernaut on paper, so moving a veteran that wants out to get under the cap makes sense. But, the Canadiens have not been able to find a trade partner and here we are in the middle of July.

There were plenty of rumours surrounding a Petry deal at the trade deadline and again at the NHL Draft, but it never came to fruition.

The trade of Ryan McDonagh, a serviceable veteran top four defender, from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Nashville Predators for next to nothing was a bad omen for a Petry deal. The trade of Brent Burns, a serviceable top four defender, from the San Jose Sharks to the Carolina Hurricanes for very little and significant cap retention, is another bad omen.

There is really only one card Hughes has left to deal in his quest to move Petry.

He has to reach find out what teams are in on former Dallas Stars defender John Klingberg, and then offer up Petry to those who don’t land the Swedish right shot defender who is among the top free agents this offseason.

Klingberg is a top pairing defender who plays the right side. He scored six goals and 47 points in 74 games last season. He is apparently looking for a seven year contract with a cap hit close to $8 million.

For less than half that term, three years to be exact, and a smaller cap hit, $6.25 million, teams could have Jeff Petry. He isn’t the same top pairing defender that Klingberg is, but Petry would be a fine consolation prize.

While Petry did struggle to start last season, he scored 21 points in his last 28 games, and was one of the top scoring defenders in the NHL for several years leading up to last season.

The Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken all make sense as potential landing spots for Petry. Scratch whoever signs Klingberg off the list of suitors and expect Hughes to be busy negotiating a deal in the hours after he does.

If Petry is still on the Canadiens a day after Klingberg is dealt, it will be a bad sign that the Habs aren’t getting an offer that works for them.

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