Jeff Petry is on the move again, but this time, he's heading home.
The Detroit Red Wings acquired Petry - an Ann Arbor, Michigan, native - from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for fellow defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025, the teams announced Tuesday.
The Habs will retain 50% of Petry's remaining salary, bringing his cap hit down to $2.34 million for the next two seasons.
Montreal will receive the lower of Detroit's two fourth-rounders in 2025. The other one originally belonged to the Boston Bruins.
Petry was dealt from Pittsburgh to Montreal nine days ago as part of the trade that sent Erik Karlsson to the Penguins. Pittsburgh also retained $1.56 million of Petry's original $6.25-million cap hit, so he'll receive paychecks from three different teams this season.
The 35-year-old recorded 31 points in 61 games with the Penguins last season after spending eight years with the Canadiens. His underlying numbers over the last three seasons are strong, although they have gotten worse each year.
Petry will likely slot in behind stalwart Moritz Seider on the right side of Detroit's revamped blue line. Here's a look at the Red Wings' projected defense, where Petry could potentially reunite with his former Canadiens teammate Ben Chiarot.
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Jake Walman | Moritz Seider |
| Ben Chiarot | Jeff Petry* |
| Shayne Gostisbehere* | Justin Holl* |
| Olli Maatta |
*Offseason addition
Petry, who's listed at 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, has racked up 353 points in 864 career games across 13 NHL seasons with the Oilers, Canadiens, and Penguins. He helped the Habs reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final and finished a career-high 13th in Norris Trophy voting that season.
Petry's father, Dan, pitched 11 seasons for the Detroit Tigers, helping them capture the World Series in 1984. He'll wear No. 46 with the Red Wings, the same number his father wore with the Tigers.
It's been a busy offseason for Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, who also beefed up the forward group by trading for Alex DeBrincat and signing J.T. Compher and Daniel Sprong as free agents.
Lindstrom, meanwhile, was a second-round pick by the Red Wings in 2017. The Swedish right-handed defenseman tallied a goal and seven assists while averaging 14:10 per contest in 36 games with the Red Wings last season. He turns 25 on Oct. 20 and will likely battle for a spot on Montreal's blue line this training camp.
Goaltender Casey DeSmith, who arrived in Montreal from Pittsburgh with Petry, could be on the block next. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said the club could trade DeSmith or facilitate a different move to make room for him on the depth chart, according to TVA's Renaud Lavoie. Montreal also has Jake Allen, Sam Montembeault, and Cayden Primeau as options in net.
