Speculation: Challenge: finding Petry a home

[pth2]

So, Jeff Petry asked for a trade a while back, and the Habs have said they'd accommodate him if they could find a deal that makes sense for Montreal. He's 34 and signed for 3 more seasons at 6.25M, and wants to play in the USA based on Canada having more stringent Covid restrictions, which led to his family staying in Detroit.

While Petry's having a sub-par season, his skating and skills seem fine, and I think it's reasonable to think he'd get a comparable deal as a UFA. Last season he had such a great first half as #1D that there was some Norris talk, he didn't maintain that level of play, but was of course a regular all the way to the Finals.

So, who could use him ? Take this as a challenge to figure out who could most use him. I'm not looking at return or proposing anything, I don't expect he'll fetch high-end assets, just trying to figure out where he might go. My assumption is he goes without retention but for little return (ie, no bad contracts in return). Maybe he even goes with a pick for a younger, useful player.

Dallas and Detroit have been rumored in the past (though Detroit fans don't seem to see a fit), and I'd suggest Pittsburgh if ever Letang leaves as a UFA.

Anyone else potentially interested in a top 4 RD ? I could see him on any team with a young D to limit the kids exposure to high-profile situations until they've earned them, or as 2nd pairing D for a team with 1 or 2 high-end D but looking for someone to give them more options on the back end. Petry was at his best as a PP QB, and playing with a stay at home D like Edmundson.

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[McJedi]

So, Jeff Petry asked for a trade a while back, and the Habs have said they'd accommodate him if they could find a deal that makes sense for Montreal. He's 34 and signed for 3 more seasons at 6.25M, and wants to play in the USA based on Canada having more stringent Covid restrictions, which led to his family staying in Detroit.

While Petry's having a sub-par season, his skating and skills seem fine, and I think it's reasonable to think he'd get a comparable deal as a UFA. Last season he had such a great first half as #1D that there was some Norris talk, he didn't maintain that level of play, but was of course a regular all the way to the Finals.

So, who could use him ? Take this as a challenge to figure out who could most use him. I'm not looking at return or proposing anything, I don't expect he'll fetch high-end assets, just trying to figure out where he might go. My assumption is he goes without retention but for little return (ie, no bad contracts in return). Maybe he even goes with a pick for a younger, useful player.

Dallas and Detroit have been rumored in the past (though Detroit fans don't seem to see a fit), and I'd suggest Pittsburgh if ever Letang leaves as a UFA.

Anyone else potentially interested in a top 4 RD ? I could see him on any team with a young D to limit the kids exposure to high-profile situations until they've earned them, or as 2nd pairing D for a team with 1 or 2 high-end D but looking for someone to give them more options on the back end. Petry was at his best as a PP QB, and playing with a stay at home D like Edmundson.

Don’t see the fit in Detroit at all. Take them off the list.

Dallas make sense, do they have a similar dubious contract to Petrys to send back to the Habs? Winnipeg makes sense but he’s not going there.

What about seeing if Nashville would swap him for Ryan Johansson? Same remaining 3 years of term. That makes them a decent fit. Saves the Preds $1.75mm per. Habs get younger 2C better than Dvorak.

 

[Eggtimer]

Devils have a pretty big need at RHD with Subban going after this year. After Hamilton , we have Severson and… that’s about it on the right side. We have very limited prospects on the right side as well. We have Walsh and …. Walsh . Juke Hughes has been playif the right side in Michigan but I am not sure how comfortable the Devils will be having a rookie play on his off side. (If anyone can though , it would be Hughes and his elite skating ability ) .
Severson has one year after this then is a UFA . That could potentially leave us with 1 NHL RHD.
I would love Petry but the cap hit woild not make sense if we sign Severson . Way too much cap % in RHD then. If we knew what will happen with Serverson , I would like to see if the Devils might look at acquiring Petry ?

 

[danyhabsfan]

Marino? (if Letang doesn't sign and they want a player with more offense)

I've look at the roster of all the team and I don't see any fit.

We'd have to receive a somewhat bad contract in return.

Some people suggested Dallas.

Possibly a trade with Khudobin coming back.

 

[Djp]

You arent getting anything of value back.

 

[Habs Halifax]

You arent getting anything of value back.

I'm thinking it will be a Atkinson/Voracek type trade. Contract for contract and maybe the Habs take a player with a $3M AAV back and a future on top. Hard to guess.

Petry is not in decline. His skating is still very good and he is lean for his height. He's just drowning in Montreal and needs a change. But other GM's will not be desperate to give full value due to trends and I get that. If the situation was reversed, I'd have the same approach.

However, top 4 RD's are not readily available so there will be a few teams in on Petry.

 

[Chainshot]

There is a small cross-section of Sabre fans would have thought he would be a very interesting player for the Sabres to shore up their top 4 and give Power a vet to play with.

 

[John B]

If the Habs are only going to move him in a trade that makes sense for the team, Petry is going to have to be open to being dealt to more teams if he wants out that bad. Obviously Canadian based teams are out, but he can't get too picky with the American based teams that are left. Only so many of them are going to be interested and be able to offer something that makes sense for the Habs to make the move.

 

[pth2]

Don’t see the fit in Detroit at all. Take them off the list.

Dallas make sense, do they have a similar dubious contract to Petrys to send back to the Habs? Winnipeg makes sense but he’s not going there.

What about seeing if Nashville would swap him for Ryan Johansson? Same remaining 3 years of term. That makes them a decent fit. Saves the Preds $1.75mm per. Habs get younger 2C better than Dvorak.

-Detroit isn't the worst possible fit, so we'll see.
-Dallas might take him as a Klingberg replacement, and I'm not expecting Montreal to take a downright bad contract in return
-Nashville for Johansson might make sense, though Dvorak is #3 center, Jake Evans is filling in as #2, but I think he's in over his head. Not sure Montreal would love to add a veteran at this point though. I guess it depends on the draft - if the Habs get a high-end center prospect, they'll want to keep #2 center open, if they get a winger/D, then getting someone to fill the role in the medium-term makes sense. The Habs have enough veterans on overly fat contracts though.

 

[pth2]

If the Habs are only going to move him in a trade that makes sense for the team, Petry is going to have to be open to being dealt to more teams if he wants out that bad. Obviously Canadian based teams are out, but he can't get too picky with the American based teams that are left. Only so many of them are going to be interested and be able to offer something that makes sense for the Habs to make the move.

There's no reason to think he's being overly fussy. I hope my initial post didn't give that impression - he just wants to be in the USA.

 

[Voight]

Not getting much if anything without retention.

 

[pth2]

Devils have a pretty big need at RHD with Subban going after this year. After Hamilton , we have Severson and… that’s about it on the right side. We have very limited prospects on the right side as well. We have Walsh and …. Walsh . Juke Hughes has been playif the right side in Michigan but I am not sure how comfortable the Devils will be having a rookie play on his off side. (If anyone can though , it would be Hughes and his elite skating ability ) .
Severson has one year after this then is a UFA . That could potentially leave us with 1 NHL RHD.
I would love Petry but the cap hit woild not make sense if we sign Severson . Way too much cap % in RHD then. If we knew what will happen with Serverson , I would like to see if the Devils might look at acquiring Petry ?

Yeah.... you don't acquire Petry to play him as a 3d pairing guy, though. Not for 1 of 3 years.
This only works if Severson is clearly getting moved.

 

[pth2]

Not getting much if anything without retention.

As I said, I don't think return is critical, finding the right destination is hard enough as such.
And I'm not expecting retention over 3 full seasons. Teams only have 3 total, and right now the Habs used all 3 on their trade deadline rentals.

 

[pth2]

There is a small cross-section of Sabre fans would have thought he would be a very interesting player for the Sabres to shore up their top 4 and give Power a vet to play with.

Geographically, Buffalo wouldn't be too bad for him, as well.

 

[SEALBound]

If Letang tells Hextall there is no way he is coming back and intends on signing in Montreal...why not Petry for UFA Letang?

 

[Chainshot]

Geographically, Buffalo wouldn't be too bad for him, as well.

I've made the flight from Detroit to Buffalo in just over an hour on a couple of occasions.

 

[pth2]

If Letang tells Hextall there is no way he is coming back and intends on signing in Montreal...why not Petry for UFA Letang?

Well, he can't be sure Montreal will be making him the kind of offer he wants. If Letang is looking for any kind of term, and Montreal has a lot of D coming up.... I'd be reluctant even giving him 2 years, which I'm sure he'll be expecting, at 34, as this is his last under 35 contract.

 

[John B]

There's no reason to think he's being overly fussy. I hope my initial post didn't give that impression - he just wants to be in the USA.

I was just speaking in general. I don't know if he's being picky or not. He has a 15 team no trade list and there are 25 U.S. based teams. 9 of those teams will be eliminated from contention. More than likely will be non-playoff teams which are the teams that can most likely absorb his cap hit and potentially need him the most. If Habs want the best possible deal for Petry, it would be with a team that actually wants him (playoff team or not). If I'm Hughes, I give him a list of teams that are interested and are willing to make a deal that makes sense for the Habs. He can choose his destination from those teams (assuming there's more than 1).

 

[ottawa]

Think Petry stays with the habs...he signed a 3 year contract and then suddenly wanted to leave? Seems like a lot of that has to do with Ducharme. He looks happier under MSL.

 

[Rebels57]

You arent getting anything of value back.

*Chuck Fletcher enters the chat*

 

[pth2]

I was just speaking in general. I don't know if he's being picky or not. He has a 15 team no trade list and there are 25 U.S. based teams. 9 of those teams will be eliminated from contention. More than likely will be non-playoff teams which are the teams that can most likely absorb his cap hit and potentially need him the most. If Habs want the best possible deal for Petry, it would be with a team that actually wants him (playoff team or not). If I'm Hughes, I give him a list of teams that are interested and are willing to make a deal that makes sense for the Habs. He can choose his destination from those teams (assuming there's more than 1).

Sometimes I wish that player who request a trade have to lift all NMC/NTC.

But I agree with your point, he needs to be flexible. Apparently Petry came close to being moved, and I hope he didn't get fussy on us when he's the guy who wants to go back to the USA.

 

[Zman5778]

As kind of stated above:

Buffalo makes a ton of sense here. Geographically, it should be appealing to Petry. Buffalo has a large need for a veteran RHD to pair with Power (or Dahlin, frankly).

Acquisition cost wouldn't be prohibitive for Buffalo.....and Buffalo has a mega-ton of cap space it needs to use.

Frankly, it fits well for all parties.

 

[pth2]

Think Petry stays with the habs...he signed a 3 year contract and then suddenly wanted to leave? Seems like a lot of that has to do with Ducharme. He looks happier under MSL.

4 year deal.
And it's largely because his family (wife and kids) returned to Detroit to get out from the more intense protective measures in Quebec, and who knows when Covid restrictions will be 100% lifted forever...

 

[pth2]

As kind of stated above:

Buffalo makes a ton of sense here. Geographically, it should be appealing to Petry. Buffalo has a large need for a veteran RHD to pair with Power (or Dahlin, frankly).

Acquisition cost wouldn't be prohibitive for Buffalo.....and Buffalo has a mega-ton of cap space it needs to use.

Frankly, it fits well for all parties.

Would a 2nd rounder in any of the next 3 drafts be a possibility ? Straight up.

 

[Irie]

The sad reality is that hockey players that drop off at 34+ rarely recover form.

Add the fact that Petry is still owed 20 of the 25 million real dollars on his contract, and I can't see anyone taking on that gamble.

The risk is just too great with limited upside, especially while revenues are still down.