Stu Cowan: Canadiens' Hughes tried to 'do the suitable factor' buying and selling Jeff Petry once more

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I’ve all the time been a giant believer in what goes round comes round.

When you deal with individuals correctly and with respect, it normally pays off ultimately.

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Canadiens GM Kent Hughes additionally believes that and he confirmed it once more Tuesday when he traded defenceman Jeff Petry to the Detroit Crimson Wings in trade for defenceman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round choose on the 2025 NHL Draft. The Canadiens may even eat simply over $2.3 million of Petry’s US$6.25 million wage over the subsequent two seasons.

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Final summer time, Hughes dealt Petry to the Pittsburgh Penguins in trade for defenceman Mike Matheson after Petry had requested to be traded for household causes. Petry’s spouse, Julie, had turn into upset with the COVID-19 restrictions in Quebec and moved their household again house to Michigan for the 2021-22 season, whereas Petry remained in Montreal.

Earlier this month, Hughes re-acquired Petry from the Penguins as a part of a three-team commerce with the Penguins and San Jose Sharks that introduced goalie Casey DeSmith, ahead Nathan Légaré and a second-round choose on the 2025 draft to Montreal.

Hughes had no plans of preserving Petry in Montreal this time and let the veteran defenceman know that shortly after reacquiring him on Aug. 6.

Petry will little question be thrilled about going to the Crimson Wings. He’s a Michigan native and his father, Dan, was a pitcher with the Detroit Tigers for 11 seasons and helped them win the 1984 World Sequence.

“I’m a believer basically — whether or not it’s gamers or individuals — that you just attempt to do the suitable factor,” Hughes mentioned throughout a video convention after Tuesday’s commerce was introduced. “Actually on this case, after I referred to as Jeff (after re-acquiring him from the Penguins) I mentioned: ‘Hear, I do know you didn’t go to mattress anticipating to listen to from me this morning. I used to be in all probability one of many final individuals you anticipated to.’ I do know they have been as a household uptight. They’ve obtained 4 younger boys and so they have been about to begin faculty in two weeks. So I gave him my phrase. I mentioned: ‘Hear, we noticed a chance right here to facilitate the commerce between Pittsburgh and San Jose and to assist ourselves. However we’re conscious that you just’ve obtained a household and your individual profession and Montreal’s in all probability not the place you’re anticipating to play.’ I promised him that we’d work expeditiously to get him moved and that we wouldn’t drag this out attempting to maximise each final piece of worth within the commerce. It in all probability took a little bit longer than we anticipated.”

Gamers on the Canadiens — and across the NHL — will discover the way in which Hughes handled Petry, a well-respected veteran within the league.

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“That doesn’t imply we’re going to do issues which can be in opposition to the group’s curiosity,” Hughes mentioned about the way in which he dealt with Petry. “However after we can work collectively to do what’s greatest for ourselves and the gamers we’ll all the time strive to do this and we hope that over time gamers take observe and wish to be part of it.”

In Lindstrom, the Canadiens get a 24-year-old defenceman — 11 years youthful than Petry — who’s 6-foot-2, 184 kilos and shoots proper. The Crimson Wings chosen him within the second spherical (thirty eighth total) of the 2017 draft. In 128 video games with the Crimson Wings, Lindstrom has 2-23-25 totals.

“Our professional (scouts) like him,” Hughes mentioned. “They really feel like he’s a extremely sensible, puck-moving defenceman that he nonetheless has a number of room to develop in his sport. I believe the quantity that they threw out was he was about 70 per cent of what they consider his potential is — and he’s younger. He’s 24 years of age, he was a excessive draft choose. He’s a Swedish participant and Detroit’s had a number of success in that nation through the years drafting-wise, so we’re hopeful that Gustav can come and add a component to our crew and we’ll see the place it takes us.”

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Heading into the second full season of their rebuild underneath Hughes, the Canadiens are loaded with gamers who’re 24 or youthful. Captain Nick Suzuki, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Lidstrom are all 24; Jordan Harris and Jesse Ylönen are 23; Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Arber Xhekaj are 22; Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron are 21 and Juraj Slafkovsky is nineteen.

Whereas the long run is wanting brighter for the Canadiens, making the playoffs in a really powerful Atlantic Division subsequent season appears unlikely.

“Do I believe we’re prepared?” Hughes mentioned when requested about his crew’s possibilities. “I believe on paper the reply isn’t any. However I believe I mentioned final 12 months at first of the season I’m an optimist and we’re going to let issues play out and there’s a purpose they play the video games. I believe we’re a greater crew this 12 months than we have been final 12 months, however we’ve obtained a number of work to do to turn into the crew that we expect we should be.”

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