Habs News: Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Marc Bergevin, Free Agent, Jeff Petry, Shea Weber, Joel Edmundson, Claude Julien, Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — On Friday, the Canadiens announced that they have agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension with defenseman Jeff Petry. The new contract is in effect as of the 2021-22 season, and has an average annual value of $6.25 million.

“[Montreal]’s been a special place, and it’s a privilege to put on that uniform with so much history. I’ve learned over my four-and-a-half years here, how much pride I take from putting on that uniform every day,” Petry said when he met with the media on Friday via Zoom.

“When I was with Edmonton, [Montreal] was always my favourite building to come play in. Even when you do it 41 times a year, it doesn’t wear off. The atmosphere is still second to none.”

Solid Acquisition

Petry was acquired on March 2nd, 2015 from the Oilers in return for a second and fourth round picks in the 2015 draft. Edmonton traded Petry, a pending free agent at the time, after he advised the team that he would be hitting the market for a new contract in the offseason.

The deal was concluded before 9:00am Eastern Time on trade deadline, which upset most Oilers fans as they were hoping Craig MacTavish, Oilers general manager, would be able to obtain a higher return. Petry was a top-four defenseman with responsibilities on the power play and the penalty kill.

This transaction is definitely one of Marc Bergevin’s best moves during his tenure as general manager of the Canadiens. There was discussions amongst experts and fans whether Bergevin should shop Petry at this year’s trade deadline, and even made it to TSN’s trade bait board, which never materialized.

Decision to Stay

I believe that Petry would have likely received a bigger contract if he would have tested the free agent market at the end of the 2020-21 season, but it was more than just the dollars that was important to the defenseman. The negotiations between both parties were ongoing for approximately two weeks before the new contract was signed.

“There was many things that played into ultimately signing this deal, there’s factors of term, family, dollars. Overall, my wife and I reached a comfortable position that we felt was good for us, being comfortable where we live, knowing how much I enjoy playing for this organization, how the organization has treated my wife and family. That all had to do with the decision,” explained Petry.

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The unknown financial impact that the current global pandemic will have on the National Hockey League (NHL) may have influenced Petry’s decision to resolve his new contract promptly. “It had something to do with it for sure. Nobody knows what this upcoming season is going to bring, and that all has affects on decisions and guys’ careers going forward,” was Petry’s point of view.

The team’s performance in the post-season gave Petry confidence for the future. “The Return to Play showed what we have coming up. We have a lot of good young players, and you know, guys like KK (Jesperi Kotkaniemi) and (Nick) Suzuki showed that during the playoffs, which is huge to have success as a team. With those guys coming up, it shows that the future is bright here, and that was one of the deciding factors in ultimately signing this extension.”

You can sense that Petry is committed to the organization and the city. It has been reported that his new contract contains a no movement clause and a modified no trade clause. His expiring contract contained similar clauses, that would limit the odds of him leaving the organization.

Petry and his wife Julie have also given back to the local community. Back in March, the Petrys opened a $2,500 tab with Mandy’s restaurant in Westmount and with Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâce in NDG to provide meals for the health care staff working in hospitals, to thank them for their efforts during the pandemic. Their son Boyd has also become a fan favourite with his regular appearances on social media.

Defensive Partners

One of my critiques against the Canadiens over the years has been the amount of players that have been asked to play in roles that are greater than their skillset. This hasn’t been the case for Petry since he joined the organization. Except when faced with injuries, he has been slotted on the second defensive pairing. Claude Julien also gives him responsibilities on the power play and the penalty kill units.

When Petry arrived to Montreal in March 2015, P.K. Subban was the top pairing defenseman, and then as of the 2016-17 season, Shea Weber took over that role.

Petry has had several partners on his left side in the six seasons that he’s been with the Canadiens. The table below lists his regular partners from his first three seasons, and from the last three seasons.

There’s no doubt that the quality the players in the left column was superior than those in the right column. The Canadiens have struggled on the left side of defence since the start of the 2017-18 season.

“I tend to play well with a guy that’s more on the defensive side of things, it gives me the ability to get up in the play. I want to be up in the play, I want to make a good breakout pass, so I think playing with a guy that’s more defensive minded makes it a little bit more easier for me to read off,” said Petry when asked about the different style of his defensive partners.

It sounds to me like Petry was happy when Montreal traded and then eventually signed pending free agent Joel Edmundson. After signing with the team, Bergevin told Edmundson that the plan is that he pairs up with Petry.

Contract Evaluation

I think the Canadiens got good value in this new deal. It feels uncommon that the organization doesn’t have to overpay or give longer term to sign a player. Petry is obviously happy in Montreal, and his no-movement and no-trade clauses in his contract reassure the Petrys that they will be part of the Canadiens for as long as they desire.

Petry has gone through periods where he has struggled with his consistency. “For a while, I was searching for consistency in my game. My approach game in and game out has been a focus of mine. I’ve worked hard to become a complete two-way defenseman and offensive defenseman. It’s something I’ve worked on and worked with the coaching staff about what they expect from me. I’ve just focused on that from the beginning of the year,” he explained.

Offensively, Petry’s production has increased year over year. He amassed a personal high 46 points in 2018-19, and was on pace in tying that total when the season was paused in March. He is one of six defencemen in the NHL with at least 10 goals and 40 points in each of the last three seasons.

“Throughout the course of my career, it always took a little bit longer to grasp what I needed to do to succeed at the next level. I kind of found the way I need to play and feel comfortable in playing that way. I think it just developed a little bit later for me.”

Canadiens Connection podcast

These issues and other current Habs topics were discussed on this week’s episode of the Canadiens Connection. Listen and subscribe!

By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
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