In a surprise move, the Red Wings announced the acquisition of veteran defenseman Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional pick.
As noted by the Wings, Montreal will retain 50% of the remaining obligations on Petry’s contract and Detroit will pay 37.5% of the remainder. Montreal will soak up around $2.3 million of his cap hit according to CapFriendly.
Petry, who is a Michigan native, turns 36 in December and has two years left on his contract. The Habs recently acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Erik Karlsson blockbuster. Petry should be considered an upgrade over Gustav Lindstrom, who was slated as the 7th defenseman on the roster. It’s not crazy to think that Petry will serve that role, but if I were to guess, he may end up being a third-pair defenseman.
Petry is past his prime, but he still put up 31 points in 61 appearances for the Penguins last season. It’s hard to argue against what Detroit is paying for him.
Side note for those of you who may not be aware… Jeff Petry is the son of Detroit Tigers great Dan Petry.
