Why Canadiens Should Deal Jeff Petry amid Latest NHL Trade Rumors

Jeff Petry is 34 years old and entering his 13th NHL season. The Montreal Canadiens are coming off a 2021-22 campaign in which they had a league-low 55 points, and they could be a few years away from being a playoff contender.

So, naturally, there are trade rumors this offseason surrounding Petry, who could be looking to get moved to a contending team. And it's possible that will be the case and he'll no longer be with the Habs when the 2022-23 season begins.

Since free agency started on Wednesday, it seems the conversations have picked up regarding a potential Petry move. According to Sportsnet's Eric Engels, the Canadiens had a "short" conversation regarding Petry with the Dallas Stars, but a deal "seems very unlikely" with Montreal "very reluctant to retain salary."

That doesn't rule out the possibility of Petry getting traded to another team, though. In fact, it's a move the Canadiens should likely look to make, even though Petry has three seasons remaining on the four-year, $25 million contract extension he signed in September 2020.

But Montreal has made it clear it isn't willing to budge in trade negotiations regarding Petry at this time.

“It’s about finding that trade that makes sense for the Montreal Canadiens,” Habs general manager Kent Hughes said Thursday, per The Athletic's Arpon Basu. “If we’re able to find it, we’ll do it. If not, Jeff is going to have to return to Montreal and play here."

However, just because Petry could start the upcoming season in Montreal doesn't mean he has to stay there through the end of his contract.

“This isn’t something that has to happen today or tomorrow, it could happen in a week, it could happen in a month, and we’ll continue to work in that regard," Hughes said, per Basu.

It's something that should happen at some point, though. Petry still has high value at this time in his career after playing eight solid seasons for the Canadiens. That could change later in his contract, and it may take Montreal some time to return to contender status anyway.

It made sense that Petry was connected to the Stars in trade rumors, as they're looking to fill a spot on defense now that John Klingberg is unlikely to return in free agency. Though it doesn't seem too plausible that Petry will end up in Dallas, it's always possible the situation could change and the two teams could get close in negotiations.

But there could be other teams showing interest in Petry on the trade market. One potential fit could be with the Nashville Predators, who have $9.236 million in available cap space (per CapFriendly) and could use another top defenseman heading into the 2022-23 season.

Basu noted that the Preds could "meet each of the criteria Hughes set forth, with some interesting prospects to dangle and no need to send money back in the form of a bad contract." So if Nashville wants to make a deal, perhaps something could materialize in the future, whether that's soon or further down the line.

Regardless of whether it's with the Predators or another team, the Canadiens would be best off trading Petry, getting a solid return and continuing to build toward the future. It makes sense that they don't want to be on the hook for much of his contract, but that may be something they'll need to reconsider if they can't find any potential trade partners.

For now, Montreal is doing the right thing in exploring the market. However, it needs to move Petry sooner than later, and ideally sometime this summer.