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Jeff Petry

Montreal Open To Trading Jeff Petry

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The headline out of Montreal this morning could simply be that the Canadiens are open to trading anyone, as general manager Kent Hughes met with the media to talk about the recent Tyler Toffoli deal and what comes next for his franchise. On Ben Chiarot, there was no hiding that the Canadiens expect to trade him in the coming weeks but another name of interest also drew an honest answer from Hughes. As Eric Engels of Sportsnet relays, the Canadiens’ GM explained that if they can “find a trade that works for us and another team” they will trade Jeff Petry.

Finding that trade is obviously a difficult task, given Petry’s play this year, his age, and his contract situation. The 34-year-old has been a shadow of himself this season, appearing at times as if he’s completely lost the swagger and offensive upside that has made him one of the most dangerous defensemen in the league the last few years. He holds onto the puck less, joins the rush less and it has resulted in Petry recording just two goals and seven points in 41 games. That coming from a player who had at least 11 goals and 40 points in each of the last four seasons, including the shortened 56-game campaign in 2020-21.

Petry was a dynamo for the Canadiens last year and was a huge part of why they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, logging more than 24 minutes a night in the postseason. This year that play has completely disappeared, making any acquisition a risky proposition.

Even on an expiring contract, Petry’s play would make him a question mark; it’s an even tougher trade to make when he has three years left on his deal. Signed to a four-year, $25MM extension back in 2020, the veteran defenseman is under contract through the 2024-25 season. He holds a no-movement clause that means he can’t be waived and a 15-team no-trade clause that will limit the number of teams that can even acquire him–or at least put some of the decision-making power in Petry’s hands. That contract also will see a salary ramp to $7.5MM in each of the next two seasons, with $3MM coming in signing bonuses each year. That’s not something that would seem that appealing to a contender unless the Canadiens retain money or Petry reverts to his previous level of performance.

Still, it’s obvious that Hughes and Jeff Gorton are fixing to make sweeping changes to the Montreal roster. They’ve already moved out one of their top trade chips in Tyler Toffoli, who was signed to a much more reasonable contract and will be flipping Chiarot before the deadline. If Petry is also on the move, you can probably count the number of truly safe players on one hand.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Rumors: Canadiens, Petry, Stars, Coyotes

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Though unimaginable just a few short months ago, the defending Stanley Cup finalist Montreal Canadiens are fully open for business, according to new GM Kent Hughes. Hughes tells TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that the team is “open to everything” when it comes to trading away players amidst this dismal season. Montreal is on pace for a historically poor campaign and Hughes must do all he can to try to right the ship. It remains to be seen if that is just moving some select players or an outright fire sale. Confounding the situation is the fact that the Habs are not your typical sellers; the team has just a handful of expiring contracts to ship off as rentals and is mired in long-term contracts. Montreal has more than $70MM in annual salary committed through the 2023-24 season, with many contracts extending well beyond that point too. So while Hughes can name drop Ben Chiarot as a player who he has discussed the possibility of a trade with, the critical moves for the Canadiens will not be the obvious rentals but getting out from under some of their long-term commitments. Is that something that Hughes can do before the trade deadline or will the dismantling of the roster truly begin this offseason?

  • At least one term player who could be on the move is veteran defenseman Jeff Petry, whose name has begun to circulate on the rumor mill alongside Chiarot’s. Petry is suffering through an uncharacteristically bad season, which understandably makes the Canadiens wary of the remaining three years left on his $6.25MM AAV contact. While only mentioning Chiarot by name, Hughes noted to LeBrun that he had begun discussing trade potential with a number of his veteran players, in part to determine how they were feeling about being a part of the current Habs roster. It seems Petry was one of these players and didn’t hide that he was equally dissatisfied with being in Montreal as the club has been with his performance. On TSN’s “Insider Trading”, LeBrun reported that Petry has indicated that he is open to moving on. More specifically, he would actually “welcome a trade.” LeBrun hears that one team who could be interest in Petry becomes attainable are the Dallas Stars, who seem to be moving on shortly from a cornerstone right-handed defenseman of their own in John Klingberg. If the Stars want Petry though, they will have to pay up. Hughes was adamant that he will not trade Petry at a discount due to his poor play and the team’s struggles this season, a policy that he may apply to all of his core players. This could lead to trades for Petry and others having to wait until the summer or perhaps even next season when the memory of the horrific 2021-22 Montreal Canadiens has faded in the minds of potential suitors.
  • One other hindrance to the Habs’ ability to make trades this season is an inability (or unwillingness) to retain salary. Montreal is currently in the Long-Term Injured Reserve salary cap overage and actually have the highest real money payroll in the league currently. Especially when it comes to term players, Hughes is not going to want to add any more unnecessary salary to his roster, even though doing so has become a common way for sellers to land improved trade returns. However, there is good news for the 16 other teams currently in the LTIR or with less than a minimum salary’s worth of cap space – the Arizona Coyotes are still willing to play ball. The ’Yotes jumped head first into their rebuild this past offseason when they took on the likes of Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Anton Stralman, Andrew Ladd, and Shayne Gostisbehere from cap-strapped teams in order to land a treasure trove of draft picks as well. Looking at a whopping seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft and plenty of cap space still to spend, GM Bill Armstrong is ready to keep it going. With a cap number that is already among the bottom third of the league and an incredible $36MM coming off the books this summer in unrestricted free agents, the Coyotes are willing and able to keep taking on bad contracts in trades, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston. With that being said, as the team looks to improve next season from a 2021-22 pace that would be worst in the league if not for Montreal, Johnston notes that Armstrong and company will be a bit more particular about who they are willing to take on this time around. The caliber of the player going to Arizona appears to be more of a concern than the weight of the contract as the ’Yotes hope to make progress in their rebuild while also taking advantage of the salary cap.

Latest On Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry

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The Montreal Canadiens lost again last night, allowing four goals in the first period to the Columbus Blue Jackets and eventually going down 6-3.  The team is now 8-29-7 on the year, a points percentage of .261 that would be the very worst of the salary cap era–even worse than the Detroit Red Wings 17-49-5 2019-20 campaign. While they continue to suffer brutal results on the ice, a new management group will need to make some decisions on where to go from here.

One player that has been regarded as someone who will definitely be traded by the March 21 deadline is Ben Chiarot, given his position as a reasonably-priced pending UFA. Chiarot’s three-year, $10.5MM contract ($3.5MM AAV) will expire at the end of this season and includes a no-trade list of just ten teams. The 30-year-old played more than 26 minutes last night against the Blue Jackets and has been relied on more than he likely should throughout the season as the team has obviously felt the absences of defensemen like Shea Weber and Joel Edmundson.

Elliotte Friedman noted on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast that the St. Louis Blues are “very much in there” when it comes to Chiarot trade talks, adding that they’re not the only team involved. He believes that the pending free agent defenseman is likely the first move for new Canadiens GM Kent Hughes, who took over earlier this month.

Another name that has been brought up recently though is Jeff Petry, a player in a very different situation. Petry has three more years on his contract after this one, an extension that was only signed in 2020. He has a 15-team no-trade list and obviously signed to stay with the Canadiens, inking that four-year, $25MM deal as a perennial 40-point defenseman.

Hughes made it clear in a recent interview with La Presse that he’s open to moving Petry if there is a fit, but wouldn’t go so far as to guarantee it is coming soon. Friedman, meanwhile, explained how it might not be best to move him now:

All I’ll say with Petry is, there’s time. You can say ’okay, if someone wants to do it now, they can do it now.’ But because he’s got term, you can wait until the summer. The one thing about now is that there’s not a lot of cap space. If you trade a Chiarot, and you’re retaining [salary] to make your deal better you only have to do it for now. If you’re trading a Petry and have to retain, there’s term on that.

Among the biggest reasons for Montreal’s demise has been the stark difference in play from Petry, who has just six points in 37 games after posting four consecutive seasons with at least 11 goals and 40 points. In last year’s shortened campaign, he put those numbers up in just 55 games, playing incredible hockey all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. At age 34 with three more years of term, he won’t be an easy deal to make even if someone believes they can get him back to his previous levels.

Montreal Canadiens Add Five Players To COVID Protocol

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Dec 29: After getting in one game last night, the Canadiens have placed two more in the COVID protocol today. Paul Byron and Cayden Primeau are both now unavailable and join the rest of the absences in the protocol. Byron was closing in on a return from injury and Primeau was expected to play this weekend with Allen unavailable. McNiven will now likely be recalled to backup Sam Montembeault.

Dec 27: The Montreal Canadiens have added another five players to the COVID protocol today, recalling a handful of replacements in the process. Jake Allen, Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, Jeff Petry, and Chris Wideman have entered the protocol, along with goaltending coach Eric Raymond. The team has recalled Cayden Primeau and Corey Schueneman to the active roster, while also bringing up Brandon Baddock, Gianni Fairbrother, Cam Hillis, and Michael McNiven to the taxi squad. The team will travel to Florida where they are currently scheduled to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night.

The new five will join Laurent Dauphin, Mike Hoffman, Artturi Lehkonen, and Tyler Toffoli, who were already in the protocol. The team also has almost countless injuries, meaning it’s not quite the full Montreal experience heading to face the Lightning. In a lost season for the Canadiens, nearly everything that could have gone wrong has, and they find themselves near the very bottom of the league standings.

If the games are played as scheduled, the team will no longer have to play short after the league amended the salary cap and emergency exception rules yesterday. Still, these recalls bring them close to the organizational limit; Primeau and McNiven were the only two other goaltenders in the organization signed to NHL contracts.

Poll: How Should The Montreal Canadiens Handle This Season?

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The Montreal Canadiens are one of just three teams that have already hit the 20-game benchmark this season. Their campaign is already a quarter complete – and they have 12 points to show for it. The reigning Stanley Cup finalists are tied for 31st in the NHL with a .300 record in what can only be described as a nightmare start to the year. The team is spending beyond the salary cap on a roster chock full of long-term contracts for players in the primes of their careers. They certainly did not expect to be in this spot, especially after last season’s playoff success. So where do the Canadiens go from here?

There are essentially three schools of thought when a team reaches a crossroads during the season, and that point in time does not need to be the trade deadline. They can buy, they can sell, or they can stand pat. All three strategies have merit, but the Habs would be wise to pick one and stick to it this season.

The team could certainly try to fight their way out of this funk. It would not be the first time in Montreal history that an underperforming team found a way to turn it around and make the playoffs only to hit their stride in the postseason. The Canadiens just made a surprise run last season and, at least on paper, have the pieces to do it again. As bad as the team has been so far this season, there has to be regression to the mean coming for their numerous talented scorer and stout defenders, right? There is also the potential for a Carey Price return and improved health across the roster to bring a boost to the team. However, if the plan is to compete then Montreal cannot just wait around for a spark. They need to shake up the roster and make a notable addition or two in the near future. It’s certainly a risk, but the reward for the team and its fans alike is the end to their current misery.

On the other hand, the team could look upward at the steep hill they have to climb and go in the opposite direction. The Atlantic Division is arguably the strongest in the NHL and it isn’t getting any easier any time soon. If the Habs’ current roster can perform this poorly, then they likely won’t be competitive in the Atlantic moving forward, never mind this season. A name like Brendan Gallagher or Tyler Toffoli or even Jeff Petry (though his appeal has taken a major hit) could draw a significant trade return to help the Canadiens re-tool and look toward the future. It would be a disappointing turn following last season’s success, but could be the right call given their struggles. The bright silver lining to tanking of course is remaining in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick and consensus top prospect Shane Wright. Wright could be a top line center and perhaps even a franchise player for the Canadiens and removing as much talent from their roster as is reasonably possible will help them stay at the bottom of the league standings and boost their odds in the draft lottery.

The final option is to do nothing. It actually has the potential benefits of either loading up or blowing it up, but requires no action at all. It could be the perfect plan for the Canadiens, given GM Marc Bergevin is expected by many to depart after this season, if not sooner. Rather than let Bergevin make moves in a futile attempt to save his job or impress future employers, Montreal could choose to just ride the season out. There is enough talent on the roster that they could turn the season around without making any moves. They also might never break out of their slump and remain in contention for the top draft spot. The latter could be helped along by making some easy deals like trading the expiring contracts of Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak, Artturi Lehkonen, Cedric Paquette, or Mathieu Perreault without doing anything earth-shattering. Of course, doing nothing runs the risk of achieving neither goal. The Canadiens are better than their current .300 record, but they likely aren’t good enough to crack the Eastern Conference playoff picture either, especially with this deficit. They could end up outside the postseason and with poor lottery odds. Standing pat also leaves fans with little guidance as to the teams direction in the short-term or the long-term. However, sometimes the right move in a disappointing season is just to call it and try again next year rather than do more damage by overreacting.

What do you think? Are the Habs good enough to get back to relevance this year if they can shake up the roster? Are they as bad as they have looked and need to start the rebuild now? Or is this just a fluke of a season that deserves to be  forgotten with an eye on a fresh start next year?

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Injury Notes: Canadiens, Lightning, Watson

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The Montreal Canadiens are facing two big game-time decisions for Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher, as reported by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu. Basu notes that Sami Niku will draw in for Petry if he’s unavailable, while Jake Evans, who’s still not 100 percent in his recovery from an undisclosed injury, would play in place of Gallagher if needed. It’s tough news for an already banged-up team that also lost Mathieu Perreault to injury today for two-to-three weeks. Petry and Gallagher have both had extremely slow starts, as Petry has no points through nine games with Gallagher has just a goal and an assist. It’ll undoubtedly force a lineup shakeup for Sunday’s game.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • The status of Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Boris Katchouk is uncertain for Monday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Stamkos was absent from practice Sunday, taking a maintenance day, and head coach Jon Cooper is “hopeful” he’ll play Monday night but isn’t certain. Katchouk was hurt in practice Sunday and could be out longer. The 23-year-old forward has gotten into four games this season and is still searching for his first NHL point.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson is close to returning and could be ready for the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, per head coach D.J. Smith. Watson hasn’t played this season due to an ankle injury suffered during training camp. The return comes slightly ahead of the four-week timeline issued on October 10th. He could draw into the lineup in place of Logan Shaw, who’s registered no points in seven games while playing just 8:08 per game.

Joel Edmundson Returning To Montreal Canadiens After Leave Of Absence

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is returning to the team after a leave of absence and is back in the city, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. As he continues to recover from an injury that’s kept him out since the beginning of the season, Lavoie reports he’s expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks.

Edmundson took an indefinite leave of absence from the team just a few days again in order to be with his father who’s currently dealing with cancer. It’s a promising sign that Edmundson is already back in Montreal and working towards a return.

Any change would help the Habs right now, who are reeling with an 0-5-0 start. Edmundson played over 20 minutes a night last season, supplementing 13 points in 55 games with solid defensive play. He played over 23 minutes a night in the playoffs, forming a formidable pairing with Jeff Petry. That’s where he could slot again once he returns to the lineup, allowing head coach Dominique Ducharme to experiment with some different pairings to stop the bleeding.

Edmundson is in the second season of a four-year, $14MM deal ($3.5MM cap hit) he signed with Montreal after they acquired his signing rights in September 2020.

His return could potentially mark the healthiest Montreal’s defense will be all season if there are no further injuries, as Shea Weber is expected to be absent for the entire year.

 

Poll: Are The Montreal Canadiens A Playoff Team In 2021-22?

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After making it all the way to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, losing in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens have had one of the most interesting offseasons of any team. That much roster turnover is unusual for a team that made it that far in the playoffs, but a decent portion of it has been out of their control.

A good portion of Montreal’s starting 12 forwards will look different next season. Gone down the middle are Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Eric Staal. Dvorak will attempt to replace Danault’s shutdown role with a little more offensive touch but less defensive prowess. Kotkaniemi’s third-line role is likely to be replaced by another young center, most probably Jake Evans. Staal’s fourth-line role will likely be comprised of a more defensive-minded pivot in Cedric Paquette. Their group of wingers will look different too, losing out on Tomas Tatar’s two-way play in favor of a power-play specialist in Mike Hoffman. Gone is veteran Corey Perry in the bottom six, being replaced by another veteran presence in Mathieu Perreault.

The team’s defense faces the loss of the team’s captain in Shea Weber. His injury will keep him out for at least this entire season and puts the rest of his career in jeopardy. His absence will be replaced by committee, as youngster Alexander Romanov and new addition David Savard should see more minutes. The left side stays relatively constant from last season, and overseas addition Chris Wideman could challenge for some games as well.

A tandem of Carey Price and Jake Allen returns after a successful regular season campaign.

However, a team that barely squeaked into the playoffs last season returns with some question marks. Full seasons of Jonathan Drouin and Cole Caufield help boost the team, but downgrades from Danault to Dvorak and Tatar to Hoffman raise near-negating doubts. The success of youngsters like Evans and Romanov will be crucial if Montreal wants to make a return to the playoffs in 2022, and they’ll need repeat performances from players such as Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson.

So the question to you, PHR readers, is this: has Montreal done enough this offseason to yield a playoff team in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference? Make your voice heard below:

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Jake Evans Improving, Could Return In Semifinals For Montreal

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Sometimes “indefinitely” really does just mean unknown and not extended. The term is never intended to imply a long injury absence, but has taken on that ominous message when included in NHL injury timelines. Case in point: Montreal Canadiens’ forward Jake Evans. Just ten days after being ruled out “indefinitely” with a concussion and only four days since an update indicated there was still no timeline for a return, Evans is reportedly making progress in his recovery and traveling with the team to Las Vegas to open up their semifinal series with the Vegas Golden Knights, per TSN.

When Evans took a massive, long-distance hit from Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele at the end of Game One of the North Division finals, it certainly didn’t look good. Evans was stretched off the ice following the bone-rattling check and there was great concern for a player with a history of concussions. The play ended up ending Scheifele’s season, as his suspension outlasted the end of the Jets’ postseason efforts, but it was also expected to end Evans’ as well. Yet, TSN reports that Evans has been working out off-ice for several days without issue, skated on Saturday, and overall is making great progress while also going through the league’s concussion protocol. Evans will join the traveling party for the team’s trip to Vegas for Games One and Two, something that would definitely not be happening if he was still experiencing concussion symptoms and likely would not be happening if there wasn’t at least a chance that he might play.

With all that said, Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme has stated that is “not very confident” that Evans will play in Game One. It’s unclear if Evans is simply not healthy to play yet, or if this is a roster decision based on the bottom-six forward not being at full strength. Ducharme applied the same label to injured defensemen Jeff Petry and Jon Merrill as well, providing not added insight. However, Ducharme did say that he believes Evans could be “ready” in three-to-four days, which could put him in line for a Game Two start on Wednesday. If Evans returns at any point in this series, or even this postseason, it will be a surprise to many who saw his injury occur and expected the worst.

Snapshots: Eichel, Petry, O’Ree

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Even as the Buffalo Sabres conduct their coaching search, GM Kevyn Adams continues to receive trade calls from other teams around the league. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that the team has received interest on “a number of players, including Jack Eichel,” though that should come as no surprise.

The Sabres of course also have the first overall pick in this year’s draft to worry about, plus four other picks in the first three rounds. This will be a huge offseason for the organization if they stand any hope of turning things around.

  • After leaving last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game four. Tony Marinaro of TSN690 tweets that Petry dislocated two fingers in his right hand, but won’t need surgery until after the playoffs. There was footage of Petry getting his hand caught in the camera hole in the glass last night.
  • The league announced the three finalists for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award today. Renee Hess, Kevin Hodgson and Howard Smith are the three finalists and the winner will be determined by a fan vote plus weighted votes from O’Ree himself, the NHL and the sponsor MassMutual. Each of the nominees is an individual who, through the sport of hockey, has positively impacted his or her community, culture or society.

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