Unreal.
Petry has been struggling since Smid left and some people here are giving him props?
I see the same garbage excuses that everyone made for Tom Gilbert. The Oilers are playing him too far up the line up... if only we had Chara for him to play behind ... then... then he would be awesome.
What a joke.
I am a Petry fan. But he has regressed this season. Given up on plays and been beat cleanly by 2nd, 3rd, and fourth liners. Playing 2 minutes less a game and having slightly easier competition isn't gonna magically turn Petry into a great defenseman.
He had great chemistry with Smid. I've always said Smid carried Petry a bit and I can not count the amount of people that called me crazy for that. I am sure I'll get a few here too. But you have to be deaf, dumb, blind, or just plain out to lunch not to have noticed how much Petry has struggled since Smid left.
He is playing like a #4 or #5 right now at best. His upside is #3 with a solid defensive partner.
I really thought he had #2 potential but you just can't say that this year. He has the second worse plus minus for our defenseman. He only has 9 points in 39 games. He makes numerous glaring mistakes on a game to game basis. 3.5 mill for Petry is really too much. Maybe if we sign him long term.
It's easy, and probably accurate, to blame Eakins for his regression but that still doesn't excuse his poor play this year.
EDIT: And just to stir the pot a bit more. Personally, I think it is very obvious who our best defenseman is. He has the best plus minus, he is our captain, and while he isn't perfect either I am blown away when I hear people complaining about his play. He has been great for us. Consistently solid. Only has 2 less points than golden boy Petry. Andrew Ferrence.
Oilers fans and management are obsessed with quick skating, puck moving, offensive defenseman. The shut down types are every bit, if not more valuable to the team.