Montreal Canadiens re-sign defenseman Jeff Petry to six-year deal worth $33 million

One of the biggest free agent defensemen has signed a new contract before the free agent frenzy on July 1st. Jeff Petry has re-signed with the Montreal Canadiens, inking a six-year deal believed to be worth $33 million (5.5 AAV).

Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin initially acquired Petry before this year’s NHL trade deadline, giving up just a second-round pick for rearguard.

Petry fit in well with the Canadiens. He played predominantly with Tom Gilbert and Alexei Emelin, and his CF% suffered because of it, as the Canadiens had him carrying the burden of playing with two suspect possession defensemen. It’s was a step up, however, from playing on a possession wasteland of a team like the Oilers. Petry was a welcome addition.

Whoever he plays with, Petry makes Montreal’s group better. Keeping him in the fold immediately helps Montreal’s worrisome backend. Petry is a valuable guy on both sides of the ice, and a power play with P.K. Subban and Petry is a pretty potent one. I know the group struggled on the PP immensely during the playoffs, but it’s depressing to imagine this group without him.

Signing him to an extension means the Montreal Canadiens will have more than $24 million tied up to it’s top-four on D (P.K Subban, Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin). This is speculation, but I’m sure if Bergevin can find somebody to take on Emelin’s contract, he would do so immediately. He’s deadweight. His one attribute is being able to hit people really hard, and in today’s NHL that’s becoming a less valued skill set. Petry on the other hand is exactly what teams covet these days – a defenseman who thrives at possession, knows both ends of the ice and can be slotted anywhere in the lineup.

While it’s easy to criticize Bergevin’s early moves this offseason – specifically not firing Michel Therrien – this is a step in the right direction.

About Liam McGuire

Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com

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