Stars Could Be Trade Partners For Canadiens Defenceman Petry

Now that the Montreal Canadiens have re-acquired Jeff Petry, the options regarding his future are starting to become clear.

General manager Kent Hughes is in no rush to move Petry, a logical approach given that the defenceman still holds a decent amount of value in the NHL, especially if the Canadiens decide to retain a percentage of his salary.

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However, if the team does want to move him as soon as possible, they may be able to find a dance partner in the Western Conference. According to hockey insider Chris Johnston, the Dallas Stars have shown interest in acquiring the 35-year-old defenceman in the past.

“In my eyes, Petry was probably the best pure asset [they’re getting] in the deal,” said Johnston during the most recent episode of the CJ Show. “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 Canadiens are inclined, a 50 percent salary retention would lead to Petry only accounting for a $2.35 million salary cap hit next season, a rather enticing number given his pedigree.

“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.”

As it stands, the Stars are in a complicated salary cap situation. They’re currently over the salary cap, which is allowed during the offseason, but the fact remains that they’d have to perform some financial juggling to include Petry’s contract, even if the Canadiens agree to retain up to 50 percent.

When it comes to a potential return, the Stars have several talented young players, but it’s doubtful that Petry would yield a significant return in the form of an elite prospect.

Regardless of whether the Stars do end up trading for Petry, the mere fact that they have shown interest in the past, at a time when his salary cap hit was much higher, is an encouraging sign when it comes to unloading the Canadiens’ former alternate captain.