Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings have made another move to bolster their blueline.
Detroit has acquired veteran defenseman and Ann Arbor native Jeff Petry from the Canadiens in exchange for 24-year-old defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025, the club announced Tuesday.
The Canadiens will retain 50 percent of the remaining money on Petry's contract, which pays him $12.5 million over the next two seasons. The Wings are slated to pay 37.5 percent of it, which would leave Petry with cap hits of $2.3 million in Detroit.
It's the second time Petry has been traded by the Canadiens in as many offseasons. They sent him to the Penguins last summer after eight seasons in Montreal, then re-acquired him from Pittsburgh this month as part of the trade that sent Erik Karlsson to the Penguins. Now, Petry is headed home.
He'll join a deep blue line in Detroit headlined by Moritz Seider and Jake Walman. Where Petry slots in remains to be seen, but he has a chance to play a consistent role. He turns 36 in December and his best years are behind him, but Petry played more than 22 minutes per night last season for a Penguins team that missed the playoffs by a single point.
A right-hand shot with a 6'3 frame, Petry could play on either of the two pairings behind Seider, opposite Olli Maatta, Ben Chiarot, free agent signing Shayne Gostisbhere or even rookie Simon Edvinsson. The Wings also have veteran Justin Holl, who they signed to a three-year, $10.2 million deal this summer, on the right side of the blueline. So at least one of their vets likely won't make the opening night lineup.
Lindstrom, a second-round pick of the Red Wings' former regime in 2017, played in just 36 games last season. Petry tallied 31 points in 61 games for Pittsburgh, which would have ranked second among Red Wings defensemen, while logging time on both the power play and penalty kill. He's also played in 48 career playoff games and helped the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
Again, we'll see how Petry fits in Detroit. But the Red Wings should be better for his presence as they try to end a seven-year playoff drought this season.
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