Jeff Petry will wear the Canadiens’ uniform until the end of the season and he will stay away from his wife and children. Kent Hughes has once once more knocked on the door of other teams to trade his 34-year-old defender, but he has not found a solution.
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It’s not just Petry’s play on the ice that’s held you back, his pact is also a major impediment, at a salary of $6.25 million for three more seasons.
“We will try to trade him, but the length of his contract is an issue,” Hughes said. It’s harder to get there at the deadline, several teams didn’t have space. »
“I haven’t spoken to him today [lundi], to Jeff. He’s been playing in the NHL for a long time, he’s a pro. We will not play in the playoffs. There are five weeks left, he can find his family following that. We will look for an exchange that is good for the CH. »
No contamination
Hughes and Martin St-Louis insisted on one point. Even though he’s been unhappy for several weeks, Petry won’t act like a cancer in the locker room.
“I don’t think Petry will contaminate the team,” predicted the interim head coach in the morning.
“I can’t say the relationship is broken in the sense that Jeff is a good teammate, he gets along well with the coaches as well,” Hughes said. We have no problem with Jeff as a player and a person. We’ll trade it if we can trade it and it works both ways. Otherwise, he will stay in Montreal. »
Weber’s case
The CH also looked actively to exchange the contract of Shea Weber.
“Yes, it was close. But in the end, we mightn’t get along. »
The Arizona Coyotes, who acquired Bryan Little’s deal from the Winnipeg Jets, represented a possible destination to absorb the last four years of the CH captain’s pact.
“Possibly it was Little, but I can’t say too much regarding that,” he replied.
The Jets gave the rights to negotiate with Minnesota State University prospect Nathan Smith to get out of Little’s contract.