Jeff Petry linked to Stanley Cup contender in trade talks

It's been nearly a week since the Montreal Canadiens re-acquired defenseman Jeff Petry in a blockbuster three team deal that ultimately saw the Pittsburgh Penguins acquire superstar Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks. In the five days that have passed since the deal was consummated though, there's been no official statement or press release from Canadiens GM Kent Hughes on Petry's re-addition.

So... what gives?

A lot of insiders believe that Petry will be on the move again and that the Habs are likely to trade him this offseason before training camp starts next month.

Yesterday on the most recent podcast episode of 'The CJ Show', NHL insider Chris Johnston reported that the Dallas Stars are a team to watch in the mix for Petry, as they've tried to acquire him multiple times over the past couples seasons.

“A team to keep an eye on is Dallas,” said Johnston. “I know they’re a team that has had interest in Jeff Petry over the last couple of years. The Stars, like a lot of teams in the league, don’t have endless cap space. There’s been a multitude of reasons why they haven’t been able to act on a trade prior to now. All of the sudden, the conditions are in place. Maybe the trade doesn’t happen by training camp, maybe it doesn’t happen by the start of the regular season. But certainly, in these next few months, the Canadiens can look at what’s out there for Petry, and whether it makes sense to move him or not.”

The problem is that Petry is due $6.25 million per season over the next two years, so Johnston reports that the Habs will need to retain salary in a potential deal with the Stars.

“In my eyes, Petry was probably the best pure asset [they’re getting] in the deal,” said Johnston. “Simply because, if they now retain 50 percent of his contract in a deal, he’s only slightly more than a $2 million defenceman. At that price, even at his age,  I think a lot of teams will look at that as a positive thing.”

If the Habs eat 50% of Petry's salary, he'd be just $2.35 million for the next two seasons. Does either team have the stomach for that kind of deal? Stay tuned.