Two front-runners emerge in next Jeff Petry trade talks!

As soon as the veteran defenseman landed back in Montreal as part of the three-team trade that sent Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins, rumors emerged Jeff Petry could be on the move again in the very near future.

Petry, who was traded by the Canadiens to the Pens last summer returned to Montreal over the weekend after Pittsburgh retained over $1.56 million of his $6.25 million annual average salary through 2024-25 in the blockbuster trade to acquire Karlsson. There is however a sense that Petry could be flipped for assets again with Sick Podcast host Tony Marinaro and guest Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reporting that the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres could be front-runners in landing the veteran blue liner.

Detroit makes a lot of sense for Petry, who is a native of Michigan and would be a perfect fit for the Red Wings as they are slowly coming out of a rebuilding phase. Same could be said of Buffalo where Petry could become a mentor for the young defensemen of the team.

Once the trade was announced on Sunday, Engels wondered if Habs GM Kent Hughes could trade Petry, if not immediately, then before the start of the regular season.

While Detroit and Buffalo make a lot of sense as top options for Petry, some fans and pundits wonder if his wife would press for a move to Dallas with the Stars, seeing that she’s a Texas native. On top of that, Petry and GM Jim Nill worked together in the NCAA at the University of Michigan and could look to reunite.

Last season in Pittsburgh, Petry managed 31 points in 61 games. Though we’ve seen a decline n his play over the past two years, Petry could still have some value in the trade market.

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