I think we all thought the same thing earlier today when we learned that Jeff Petry is returning to Montreal in a three-team trade that also sends Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh.
” Eh? What just happened? »
Yeah. I had to pinch myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming… Because let’s say it’s probably the last scenario on earth that we expected in town.
Basically, the Canadian made a good move. He got rid of Mike Hoffman (!!!) and Rem Pitlick, which freed up space for the congestion of attackers… And the CH managed to get their hands on some interesting pieces.
But we will not hide it. It is especially the case of Petry who is particularly intriguing.
Will he play in Montreal next season? Will he be traded by the start of the campaign? If he does evolve for CH, what will his role be?
These are all popular questions right now. And that’s okay.
Kent Hughes pulled off a good move by having the Penguins withhold 25% of the defender’s salary since Jeff Petry currently accounts for $4,687,500 on the CH payroll.
This means that if the Canadian wishes to exchange him afterwards and that he negotiates with any formation by offering to retain 50% of the player’s salary, the team that would acquire him would therefore have him at 37.5% of His salary…
And Jeff Petry, at $2,343,750 a year, he could be attractive to any club aspiring to the Stanley Cup. He may have slowed down and at 35 he is not getting any younger. But we’re still talking about a guy who can bring depth to the blue line and we’re talking about a guy who can help out on the power play.
The plan currently on the side of the Flannelette, in the eyes of Eric Engels, is to try to send it to other skies. It could be done before the start of the season, it could be done at the next trade deadline…
But it should happen. And the CH, which has already acquired a particularly interesting return in the transaction which brings Petry, Casey DeSmith, Nathan Légaré and a second round choice in Montreal, could then receive another piece in exchange for Petry.
We are currently attending a masterclass from Kent Hughes.
It is still surprising to see that the Canadian was not on the list of 15 teams to which he did not wish to be traded. Did he tell himself that the Canadiens were never going to trade for his services and that in the end, his list of 15 teams technically became a list of 16 teams?
Basically, it’s true that the pandemic is over and it’s true that he no longer really has any negotiating power because he had a difficult season in Pittsburgh last year, but still.
I really wonder what his wife Julie thinks of the transaction, she who had decided to leave Quebec to return to Michigan in a context where sanitary measures were less restrictive.
Let’s say that Jeff Petry does start the season in Montreal and that he is in uniform for the very first game of the campaign, next October 11 in Toronto.
We agree that one of the young people will have to give up his place and since Petry is right-handed, the logical idea would be to see Johnathan Kovacevic or Justin Barron bail out. I tend to believe that it is the latter who could be the victim of Petry’s arrival…
And it’s a shame since Barron, in my eyes, showed great things last year after the Canadian recalled him. He played with confidence… But we must also admit that it was difficult at times.
Could a return to the American League hurt him? I do not think so. We agree that it also puts a lot of pressure on Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris, who are exempt from waivers.
But obviously, all that will depend on the direction that the CH will take in the coming weeks. We thought Kent Hughes’ summer was over after signing Jesse Ylönen…
And there, we have to wonder if the DG of the Canadian really has the taste to take a little vacation.
A lot of
– Matt Dumba is going to Arizona.
– Phew. Not fancy.
– Eh eh.
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