Don't think so... lots of footage from last year showing Petry getting beat 1 on 1. Not a top pair guy, I like him and hope for the best but I have my doubts. J Schultz was not that great defensively either but the offensive flair he has shown leads me to believe he will be a better player.
... No footage of Schultz getting beat ever?
Never said Petry was a top pairing guy. BUT lets look at who his playing partners have been these last two years. He's had Smid, who's play fell off a cliff, and a raw yet surprising rookie Marincin. He consistently gets the hardest assignments and no advantageous zone starts and he's keeping his head above water.
He also gets little to no PP time. It's no wonder he has a harder time putting up points. I'm not suggesting Petry has the same offensive upside that Schultz does, but put into context, I'm replying to Beerfish's extremely hyperbolic post. I just don't agree. It's been talked about widely the last few weeks on the internets about how defencemen can contribute to offense without seeing the visual results of goals and/or assists. Anton Stralman being the best recent example.
Drew Doughty in LA is a great example as well...
Anybody remember the 1 year deal Sammy G. signed? He signed a 3 year deal after that one.
The huge difference here is that Gagner signed that deal and at the end of the year would still be RFA; Petry signed this deal to get him to UFA. If the Oilers don't get Petry to an extension or trade him at the deadline he will be the best Dman drafted and developed by the Oilers in a while and they will have absolutely nothing to show for it when he walks in free agency. And he's pretty ******* good to boot. Just a glaring example of terrible asset management.