Jeff Hughes didn't waste time moving defenseman Jeff Petry off the roster when he traded him to the Detroit Red Wings this week. Was the return worth it?
In the blink of an eye, Jeff Petry went from being back on the Montreal Canadiens roster to finding himself on the move again as Kent Hughes completed a trade with the Detroit Red Wings for the veteran blueliner.
While I gladly heaped praise on the Habs' general manager for the deal that brought Petry back to Montreal, the writing was on the wall that it wouldn't be a long stay. And although I'm pleased to see Hughes move Petry sooner rather than later, this time around I'm left feeling a bit underwhelmed with the return for the Canadiens.
Retaining a good portion of Petry's remaining salary, while adding a yet-to-prove-himself young defenseman (something that Montreal has an abundance of) are two big reasons why I'm not exactly fond of how this trade shakes out for Montreal...at least for now. I expect Hughes isn't quite finished making moves before the start of the season, so I'll reserve final judgement until we see what else the GM has in store.
I set out to explore this topic in this week's episode of Habs Hockey Report on YouTube. Want to hear my full analysis? Click the following link to watch the video: Was This Flip...a FLOP? Jeff Petry Traded to the Detroit Red Wings
On a side note, I very much enjoy the fact that Petry plans to wear his dad's number from his days as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Well done!