The Montreal Canadiens have finally traded veteran defenseman Jeff Petry.
According to a report from National Hockey League insider Frank Seravalli, the Canadiens have sent Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Mike Matheson and an undisclosed draft pick.
Update: The draft pick will be a 4th round draft selection at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
In Petry the Penguins inherit a 34 year old defenseman that comes with a sizeable cap hit at $6.25 million per season, and who has 3 years remaining on the 4 year deal he signed with the Canadiens in 2020. That deal comes with a no movement clause as well as a modified no-trade clause which requires Petry to submit a 15 team no trade list at the start of the season.
Petry is coming off an up and down season with the Canadiens, one in which both he and his family appeared to struggle with the challenges of playing in Montreal during the pandemic. He had 6 goals and 21 assists over 68 games on a Canadiens team that was arguably the worst in the league last season, and likely will be relieved to learn of this trade.
In Mike Matheson the Canadiens will inherit a veteran defenseman with a hefty contract of his own. Matheson comes in at a cap hit of $4.875 million per season and has 4 years remaining on his deal, which means that while the Canadiens have given themselves some additional cap space over the next several seasons, they've also taken on 1 additional year of term to do so.
Matheson is coming off a solid season with the Penguins in which he recorded 11 goals and added 20 assists for 31 points over 74 regular season games. In Matheson the Canadiens also likely won't have to worry about the issues they faced with Petry, given that he is a native of Pointe-Claire, Quebec.
The Penguins get an additional player in this trade in the form of center Ryan Poehling. Poehling, a former first round pick (25th overall) of the Canadiens at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, had largely struggled to find a more consistent role in the Canadiens lineup since joining the team. That being said he is coming off what was his best season with 9 goals and 8 assists for 17 points over 57 regular season games.
