The Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has announced that they have agreed to a four-year extension for defenceman Jeff Petry. The deal is worth $6.25 million and will run through the 2024-25 season.
BREAKING: Four more years for Jeff Petry!#GoHabsGo
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 25, 2020
Jeff Petry Signs Four-Year Contract Extension
The 32-year-old D-man had a pretty good season with 11 goals and 29 assists in 71 games. That was his third straight 40-point season. He also handed out 177 hits, which led the team. In his 10-year NHL career he has scored 69 goals and 184 assists totaling 253 points in 680 games. He also has averaged almost 23 minutes of ice time, showing he is a stable blueliner. His career Corsi For stands at 51.5, while his Relative Corsi is 1.0.
The 6′-3″, 201 pound player hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan and was chosen in the second round, 45th overall by the Edmonton Oilers. Petry joined the Canadiens in a 2015 trade deadline deal with the Oilers. Edmonton sent a second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round choice. It seems to be the trend to extend players beyond the 35-year mark and Petry has not shown any signs of slowing down. Still, it’s a marginal risk to sign a player turning 33-years-old about the time the new season may begin.
What This Means Going Forward
The Canadiens needed to stabilize their blueline, so this is a good signing for them. They certainly had enough cap space with still over $10 million left to attempt to improve the team’s roster. Of course they still need to come to terms with forward Max Domi ($3.15M) and defenceman Victor Mete. Mete is coming off of his entry-level contract so he won’t be as expensive as Domi. It’s still unclear at this time if Domi will go to free agency or re-sign with the Habs.
Inking Petry is a good sign that the team values his contributions and wants him to stay around. He was awarded accordingly.
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