The Montreal Canadiens have been pretty quiet so far in free agency. They were the talk of the NHL Draft, picking first overall, selection a total of 11 new players, and swinging a couple of big deals to land Kirby Dach.
But, it has been quiet in Montreal since the league’s 32 teams left the Bell Centre following the 2022 NHL Draft. But will it stay that way?
The Canadiens offseason is far from over, as they have to make a few moves to get under the salary cap. They would likely want to move a veteran forward or two to make room for the likes of Juraj Slafkovsky and Jesse Ylonen, but it is a defenceman that is most likely to be dealt first.
Jeff Petry has heard his name in trade talks since before Kent Hughes was even the general manager. The veteran defender struggled to start the season as he wanted out of town, but he was still wearing Canadiens colors as the schedule wrapped up in April.
Hughes mentioned on Thursday that it was a priority to take care of the Jeff Petry situation, which means he needs to be traded. However, that might be difficult with three years left on his contract at a cap hit of $6.25 million.
We have already seen Max Pacioretty traded this week for nothing. Ryan McDonagh was dealt for almost nothing, and Brent Burns was traded with nearly $3 million retained and the San Jose Sharks still got very little in return.
So, who even wants Jeff Petry right now? Considering the team that is acquiring him would need to have more than $6 million in open cap space, and the need for a 34 year old right defenceman that is signed for three more seasons.
Petry can still play top four minutes, but so can McDonagh and Burns. So, who even has room for Petry right now, and what would they be willing to give up to get him?
Let’s take a look a three teams that might make sense, but the acquisition for the Canadiens is going to be little more than cap space.