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Jeff Petry

Atlantic Notes: Murray, Worlds, Petry, Gallagher, Senyshyn

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Senators goaltender Matt Murray was hoping to return down the stretch to give him an opportunity to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championships but had to shut it down last week due to post-concussion symptoms, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  It was a tough season for the 27-year-old as he was limited to just 20 games where he had a GAA of 3.05 and a SV% of .906, numbers that aren’t worth his $6.25MM AAV.  That resulted in Murray clearing waivers back in November.  With Anton Forsberg signing an extension back at the trade deadline and prospect Filip Gustavsson being waiver-eligible in 2022-23, Murray’s spot on Ottawa’s roster to start next season is far from a guarantee.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with Ottawa, Ian Mendes of The Athletic mentions (Twitter links) that winger Drake Batherson and forward Tim Stutzle will represent Canada and Germany respectively at next month’s World Championships. However, forward Brady Tkachuk is unlikely to play for the United States in the tournament due to some nagging injuries.
  • Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry told reporters, including TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link), that he hasn’t closed the door on staying in Montreal. The veteran blueliner requested a trade midseason but played much better in the second half under interim head coach Martin St. Louis, finishing up with 21 points in his final 28 games this season after having just six points through his first 40 contests.  Petry has three years left on his contract with a $6.25MM AAV.
  • Still with Montreal, Lu notes in a separate tweet that winger Brendan Gallagher declined an invite to play at the Worlds due to lingering injury issues while noting his hip issue from the playoffs last year was still acting up this season. Gallagher had the toughest offensive campaign of his 10-year career, notching just seven goals and 17 assists in 56 games.
  • With the regular season now done (at least for 30 of 32 teams), several trades that have conditions in them have now been finalized. One of those was the move that sent Zach Senyshyn to Ottawa in exchange for a conditional draft pick.  Had the winger played in five games with the Senators, the Bruins would have received Ottawa’s 2022 sixth-round pick.  He only played in two so Boston will instead get their 2022 seventh-rounder.

Montreal Canadiens Activate Jeff Petry

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Jeff Petry is expected to return to the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup Saturday night when the team faces the Toronto Maple Leafs, writes Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (link). Petry has been out of the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury against the Florida Panthers back on March 24th. The defenseman took warmups this evening in Toronto alongside Joel Edmundson.

Petry’s injury is yet another one in a historic season of man-games-missed due to injury for the Canadiens, however the veteran has managed to play a majority of games this season for Montreal. Despite his comparatively healthy season, Petry has struggled to an extent for Montreal, with four goals and 12 assists in 57 games and a -10 rating for the Canadiens.

Getting Petry back into the lineup is still good news for the Canadiens, as a strong finish for him could help to boost his trade value going into the offseason. Montreal had considered moving the defenseman at the trade deadline, but did not find a deal to their liking. The team could still move Petry in the offseason, but finding a return worth the 34-year-old’s talent may be difficult, as he still has three more seasons at a $6.25MM average annual value remaining on his contract.

Injury Updates: Pacioretty, Wild, Stars, Petry

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Vegas could get a key player back for tomorrow’s contest against Arizona as Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal relays that winger Max Pacioretty is listed as a game-time decision.  The veteran has missed nearly a month with an undisclosed injury, continuing what has been a tough year on the injury front as he has been limited to just 29 games.  However, the 33-year-old has been quite productive when he has been in the lineup as he has 15 goals and 14 assists.  With the Golden Knights sitting two points out of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference heading into Friday’s slate of games, Pacioretty would undoubtedly give them a big boost as they look to get into the postseason.

Other injury updates from around the NHL:

  • The Wild could get a pair of players back for Sunday’s game against Los Angeles as Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Jon Merrill and winger Matt Boldy could both be back. Both players suffered upper-body injuries at the end of March and while Merrill has seen his role scaled back a little bit lately, Boldy has played a crucial role for Minnesota since being recalled in January, collecting 27 points in 35 games.
  • Stars defenseman Esa Lindell plus wingers Jacob Peterson and Denis Gurianov have all been upgraded to game-time decisions for their game on Saturday against New Jersey, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Each player has missed the last three games, Lindell due to an upper-body injury, Peterson a lower-body injury, and Gurianov an illness.  Dallas has a two-point lead on Vegas for the final Wild Card spot in the West and getting those three back will only help their cause.
  • The Canadiens could get defenseman Jeff Petry back for Saturday’s game against Toronto, mentions TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury, the latest frustration in what has been a tough season as the 34-year-old has struggled considerably, notching just 16 points in 57 games while Montreal wasn’t able to find a suitable trade for him at the deadline last month.

Snapshots: Heiskanen, Petry, McDonagh, Penguins

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The Stars could have defenseman Miro Heiskanen back as soon as Tuesday, relays Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News.  The 22-year-old is once again averaging nearly 25 minutes a night on the back end for Dallas while being a capable secondary contributor as well with 29 points in 52 games.  He has been out for more than three weeks due to a bout with mononucleosis and will be a welcome return to the Stars as they look to hold onto the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Canadiens announced that defenseman Jeff Petry is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The 34-year-old has had a tough season both in terms of his production (16 points in 57 games) and defensive play while the team wasn’t able to find a suitable trade for him at the deadline to honor his request to be moved.  William Lagesson will make his Montreal debut against Toronto tonight in Petry’s absence.
  • The Lightning will be without blueliner Ryan McDonagh indefinitely due to an upper-body injury, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The injury was sustained in the third period on Thursday against Boston when he blocked a shot.  Joe Smith of The Athletic adds that the injury shouldn’t cost McDonagh the rest of the season but that he’ll be out for a couple of weeks.  Tampa Bay has six other defensemen on the roster so they’re okay for now but if another blueliner goes down, it could be an issue as the team does not have any cap space to bring someone up from AHL Syracuse.
  • Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is set to be a game-time decision for tomorrow’s game against Detroit, notes Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The veteran was a late scratch last night due to an illness, one that kept him away from practice today as well.  Meanwhile, after leaving last night’s game after just 4:19, goaltender Casey DeSmith was cleared to skate today and is expected to be available for tomorrow’s contest.

Latest On Canadiens’ Jordan Harris

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With the trade deadline passed, the last-place Montreal Canadiens are now looking ahead to next season. The next possible move in their rebuilding effort is to sign 2018 third-round pick Jordan Harris. The NCAA standout defenseman and Northeastern University captain is nearing the end of his fourth and final collegiate season and new Habs GM Kent Hughes hopes that the next step in his career is to sign with the team that drafted him:

We’ve talked about what the opportunity would be in Montreal for him if he chooses to (sign). He’s an impending free agent if he doesn’t sign with us. Our hope is that he does. We kind of laid out what we’re trying to do with the organization, what our plan is, and how we see him fitting in.

Given the current status of the Canadiens, Hughes is not exaggerating the considerable role that Harris could immediately step into to begin his NHL career. A smooth-skating and productive two-way defender, Harris has all the tools to succeed in the pros and Montreal has no reason not to hand the college star major responsibilities right off the bat if it ensures that he signs with the team. The potential for opportunity will only increase with an inevitable Jeff Petry trade as well; Hughes noted yesterday that he tried to move the veteran blue liner but could not find a fair deal and will circle back in the offseason. Meanwhile, the left-handed Harris prefers to play on his right side and could step directly into Petry’s top-four spot on the right.

Hughes also hopes that personal ties to Harris could add credibility to his promises as he negotiates with the young defenseman. Hughes has known Harris for much of the blue-chip blue liner’s life; Hughes coached Harris at one time and Hughes’ sons, New York Rangers prospect Riley Hughes and potential 2022 first-rounder Jack Hughes, has played with and against him for years, including all three with Northeastern this season.

Of course, it is worth noting that prior to becoming GM in Montreal, Hughes was a Boston-based player agent. Harris not only attended college in Boston, but grew up in nearby Haverhill. If the hometown Bruins come calling, offering up a roster spot of their own on a blue line that should have one or two holes to fill this summer, Harris could opt to wait until August to become a free agent and stay in Boston. If Harris is as close to the Hughes’ boys as his father hopes, it’s also possible that he could be attracted to joining Riley with the Rangers or signing with whichever team drafts Jack. It also entirely possible that Harris merely wants to evaluate all possible options later this summer.

One thing that Montreal can offer Harris that no one else can is a chance to play in the NHL this season and burn the first year of his entry-level contract. Northeastern is the lowest seed in the strongest region of the NCAA Tournament, facing Western Michigan on Friday and, if they advance, the winner of Minnesota-UMass on Sunday. It’s an extremely difficult slate and Harris more likely than not will see his collegiate career come to an end this weekend. The Habs could sign him right away and have him in the lineup next week, a no-brainer if it helps to secure the signing. However, should the Huskies win the region, Harris could be playing through April 9. At that point, it becomes a more difficult decision to allow Harris to play in the NHL this season with just ten games left. It still seems likely that they would do so if it seals the deal, but is yet another variable to consider. The Canadiens want Harris – and for good reason – but this not a done deal just yet.

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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