Jeff Petry trade bookmarks savvy offseason for Canadiens GM Kent Hughes
Jeff Petry’s latest stint with the Montreal Canadiens is over before it even started.
The 35-year-old defenseman, who was acquired in the three-team blockbuster that sent reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins less than two weeks ago, was shipped to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday in exchange for 24-year-old defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick.
In shipping Petry to his hometown team, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes put Montreal in a better situation than it was in just two weeks ago, all by playing facilitator in the Karlsson trade.
“Do I think we’re ready (to compete for the division)?” Hughes asked while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. “On paper, the answer is no. … I think we’re a better team this year than we were last year, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to become the team that we need to be.”
After trading Petry to the Penguins last season, reacquiring him and shipping him out again, the Canadiens ultimately turned him and forwards Ryan Poehling, Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick into Lindstrom, 29-year-old blueliner Mike Matheson, 22-year-old forward prospect Nathan Legare, 32-year-old goaltender Casey DeSmith plus fourth-round picks in 2023 (used on defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov) and 2025 and a second-rounder in 2025.
Hughes also cleared approximately $9.84 million in cap space in the process. This in addition to trading for 22-year-old center Alex Newhook, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2019 draft who the team acquired from the Colorado Avalanche and is expected to play a top-six role next season.
The Canadiens posted a 31-45-6 record last season, finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division.
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