Newly reacquired Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry is no Mike Hoffman. He’s better. All due respect to Hoffman, that’s apparent based on the fact Petry plays defense both based on his position and level of capability, in sharp contrast to the forward’s reputation to the contrary.
So, from the get-go, the Canadiens seemingly come out ahead after having moved Hoffman in a three-team trade to get back Petry, one year after having dealt Petry away. That trade, which saw the Habs get Mike Matheson back, worked out in and of itself, arguably one of general manager Kent Hughes’ finer deals. This one trade may have it beat, though.
Related: Ranking Canadiens GM Hughes’ Best Trades Ahead of 2023 Deadline
Hoffman represented one of the worst contracts on the Canadiens. The only reason it arguably didn’t merit being named among the very worst? Because it’s set to expire in 2024, making it at least tradeable in principle… now in practice. Kudos to Hughes for not only shedding it, but also acquiring a 2025 second-round pick in the process (along with prospect Nathan Legare and goalie Casey DeSmith… Hoffman going to the San Jose Sharks and Rem Pitlick going to the Pittsburgh Penguins).
Hoffman Contributed to Logjam
Part of the reason Hoffman’s deal was so bad was because it contributed to a logjam up front. Short of a trade (or burying it in the American Hockey League), he was realistically going to take up a roster spot that ideally would have otherwise went to a prospect with more of a future with the organization. Now it likely will (maybe to Jesse Ylonen).
True, there is still a logjam up front, with no fewer than 14 NHL-caliber forwards in line for spots (and players like Sean Farrell, who joined the Canadiens straight out of college last season, projected to be on the outside looking in as a result). However, it’s at least more manageable now. Plus, Hughes making this trade, with still some time left this offseason, shows he both acknowledged the need to do something and maybe more moving forward.
Furthermore, there had also been a similar logjam on defense, at least before Hughes moved ahead and traded away Joel Edmundson earlier this offseason. That trade went a long way to ensuring fellow left-handed defensemen like Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj will be getting ice time critical to their development this coming season (alongside Matheson, also a leftie).
Petry to Clog Up Right Side on Defense?
By reacquiring Petry, a right-handed shot, the problem shifts back on defense. This time though, it’s the opposite side, where youngsters like Justin Barron and Johnathan Kovacevic had just begun to emerge as NHL regulars last season. Add in David Savard and, to a lesser extent, depth-defenseman Chris Wideman. So, clearly something needs to be done.
Consider how Petry left the Canadiens under less-than-ideal circumstances last time, after having reportedly requested a trade (from “Jeff Petry open to remain in Montreal, but Canadiens might have other plans,” Montreal Gazette, April 30, 2022). So, it’s not a huge leap to believe Hughes may envision him as this year’s Sean Monahan, a player acquired with excess cap space to potentially flip for additional futures.
Obviously, in Monahan’s case, it didn’t exactly work out that way. Not only did the then-pending unrestricted free agent suffer a season-ending injury in December, preventing a move by the trade deadline, but he re-signed with the Habs for another season earlier this summer.
However, Wideman could realistically be buried in the AHL himself. Barron is meanwhile exempt from waivers. If Hughes really wanted too, he could potentially keep Petry to make a run at a playoff spot, which the Monahan re-signing strongly hints at being the goal for 2023-24.
In principle, Petry re-establishes the right side on defense as a strength instead of a weakness. Meanwhile, his stance on staying with the Canadiens may have softened significantly, seeing as the pandemic had forced his family to move back to the United States and regulations regarding travel over the border are not nearly as strict as they had been. Furthermore, he had joined a potential contender on paper in the Penguins, only for them to miss the playoffs altogether. It may have eventually dawned on him that the grass isn’t always greener.
Petry a Perfect Fit with Canadiens… at Least Once
It comes down to how, at his best, Petry was a perfect fit with the Canadiens. Hoffman never was, signed to be a boon to the power play and logically help keep the Habs in playoff contention after their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. In each of his two years with the team, the power play has been abysmal and the team has finished in the bottom five in the standings.
Granted, Petry is far from in his prime. He’s 35 going on 36, but he nevertheless played the second-most minutes on the Penguins last season (Kris Letang). Even though he struggled to get going in 2021-22, his last season with the Canadiens (conceivably in large part due to his personal family issues), he did come on late with 21 points in his final 28 games.
So, it stands to reason Petry could contribute significantly to a hypothetical run at earning a playoff spot. The question is, is keeping Petry worth more than whatever he could fetch on the market? The time in the NHL someone like Barron would use to develop further, assuming he’s demoted as a result?
It’s hard to say one way or another. However, reacquiring Petry does give Hughes options, whereas, the trade that just sent him out of town notwithstanding, Hoffman was an anchor. It took the Penguins’ desperation to acquire Erik Karlsson and need for cap space to find him another home (similar to the Calgary Flames, when they wanted to sign Nazem Kadri and gave up a first-round pick with Monahan, not getting anything in return, to get it done).
Look at it this way: Petry landed the Canadiens Matheson. In contrast, many envisioned Hughes having to sweeten the pot just to get another team to take on Hoffman’s deal, leading up to the masterful trade on the former’s part. Petry still holds value. Hoffman, not so much. It’s just one way why it makes sense for Hughes to have shifted the logjam from up front to on defense to reacquire Petry.
It remains to be seen if the logjam is temporary, leading to potentially another trade, maybe one involving Petry himself. That so many are speculating as to where Hughes may trade Petry next is a sign that his hands are far from tied right now, at least far less than they had been with Hoffman still in the mix. That Hughes was able to pull off what he just did is yet one more sign to be optimistic that his team is in the right ones.
