Will this former Canadiens defenseman get signed before the start of the season?
Although it is the middle of August, there are still a good amount of unrestricted free agents (UFA) left.
A former Montreal Canadiens defenseman is among them, as Jeff Petry is still not signed at this stage of the summer.
Petry remaining a free agent comes after he split this past season between the Florida Panthers and Minnesota Wild. In 67 games last season, he recorded nine assists, 65 blocks, and 66 hits. This was after he posted one goal and eight points in 44 games with the Detroit Red Wings in 2024-25.
Teams looking for more defensive depth and experience could consider taking a chance on Petry. He could be a serviceable pickup for an NHL club as an extra defenseman.
With that, it would be understandable if we saw Petry land a professional tryout (PTO) agreement with an NHL club before training camp. That is assuming that the 38-year-old blueliner wants to continue his career, of course.
Petry spent eight of his 16 NHL seasons with the Canadiens, where he recorded 70 goals, 178 assists, 248 points, and 1,072 hits in 508 games. It will be interesting to see he can land a new home before the start of the season from here.
