FORMER OILER RETURNS TO EASTERN CONFERENCE TEAM
In a blockbuster trade over the weekend, a former Edmonton Oiler was traded to another Canadian team.
Several former Edmonton Oilers players have moved on to different organizations over the off-season. We saw Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Yamamoto was subsequently bought out and then signed a new contract with divisional rivals - the Seattle Kraken. Jesse Puljujarvi underwent intensive surgery and is looking to sign with an NHL team this coming season.
Over the weekend the Pittsburgh Penguins executed a blockbuster trade with the help of the Montreal Canadiens and the San Jose Sharks. There are many moving pieces to the deal, but the core of the trade sent Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the Penguins.
The first part of the deal to land Karlsson saw the Penguins trade former Oiler Jeff Petry to the Canadiens. Mike Hoffman was acquired from the Canadiens and then flipped to the Sharks. It's interesting to see that Hoffman was the one piece that connected the three teams and made it so that relatively minimal salary was retained in either trade.
Petry is going back to the Canadiens, the team that the Oilers traded him to at the trade deadline of the 2014-15 season. Up to that point in his tenure with the Oilers he had never accumulated more than 25 points in a season, despite his strong two-way play. While playing for the Canadiens he would unlock his offensive game, recording four straight seasons of at least 40 points. Petry goes back to the team that traded him just over a year ago.
Petry was a 2006 2nd round selection for the Oilers in the NHL entry draft. He was drafted out of the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he would play another year before spending three years playing NCAA hockey for Michigan State University. The 35-year old is entering the third year of his four year contract.