Jeff Petry's Return To The Montreal Canadiens Could Be Short-Lived

After landing back in Montreal as part of the three-team trade that sent Erik Karlsson to the Penguins, rumors are beginning to circulate that defenseman Jeff Petry could be on the move again in the very near future.

The much-anticipated trade of Erik Karlsson by the San Jose Sharks to the Pittsburgh Penguins took place on Sunday with an assist from the Montreal Canadiens. Among the moves in this complex three-team deal saw the Canadiens reacquire defenseman Jeff Petry from the Penguins.

Petry, 35, was shipped by the Canadiens to the Penguins last summer at his request for family reasons. He returns carrying a slightly lower cap hit for the Habs after the Pens retained over $1.56 million of his $6.25 million annual average salary through 2024-25.

In their assessments of the trade, The Athletic's Sean Gentille and Shayna Goldman agreed that the Canadiens could make use of Petry's experience on their young blueline for the next two seasons or flip him for assets at the March trade deadline.

The Montreal Gazette's Stu Cowan wondered how long Petry will be staying in Montreal. He anticipates that Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes will likely look at trading him again. Sportsnet's Eric Engels shared that opinion, speculating Hughes could trade Petry, if not immediately, then before the start of the regular season in October.

Engels pointed out that the Penguins have already paid out Petry's $3-million signing bonus for this season. With the Canadiens now carrying $4.687 million of the blueliner's cap hit, they can afford to retain up to 50 percent of that to facilitate a trade to another club.

Petry could still have some value in the trade market despite the decline in his play over the past two years. While he struggled with injuries and adjusting to the Penguins' style of play he still managed 31 points in 61 games last season.