NHL Notebook: Detroit Red Wings acquire Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens and looking back at David Krejci’s career as a Boston Bruin
11 months ago
The Detroit Red Wings have added to their defensive depth by acquiring Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenceman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025.
Last season the blueliner spent the 2022-23 campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he scored five goals and 31 points with 22:21 of average ice time. The 35-year-old was ranked second in points amongst defencemen for the Penguins, sitting behind Kris Letang at 41.
Earlier this summer, Petry, an Ann Arbour, Michigan native and alumnus of Michigan State University, was one of the pieces in a three-team trade that sent star defenceman Erik Karlsson to the Penguins. As a result of the deal, Petry landed in Montreal along with Nathan Legare, Casey DeSmith, and a second-round pick in 2025.
His homecoming to Michigan has a great feel to it, doubly so considering the number the Red Wings announced he will wear: 46. That’s the same number that his dad, Dan Petry, wore during his first nine years as a Major League pitcher with the Detroit Tigers and was a key cog in their 1984 World Series championship.
Petry will be heading into his third year of a four-year contract worth $6.25 million AAV. The Red Wings will retain $2,343,750 for the next two years after the Penguins already possess 25% of his original salary. The Canadiens will hold up the other end of the bargain, retaining 50% of the defenceman’s current cap hit.
Petry was originally the 45th overall selection in the 2006 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers. He joined the team full-time in 2010 for his debut season, scoring one goal and five points. He remained in Edmonton for five years scoring 17 goals and 74 points before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Petry played eight seasons in Montreal, scoring 70 goals and 248 points, and was traded in the summer of 2022 to the Penguins with Ryan Poehling in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2023 and Mike Matheson.
Here’s more from Daily Faceoff‘s Naftali Clinton:
Over the next 7.5 seasons, Petry scored 70 goals and 248 points in 508 games with Montreal. He established his role as a capable two-way defender who can reliably score 40 points every season.The main piece of the Petry return is Gustav Lindstrom, a defense-first defenseman. Lindstrom played the last two seasons in Detroit full-time, albeit missing more than half of the 2022-23 season with an injury. Nobody would confuse Lindstrom for an offensive defenseman, as he’s scored exactly two goals in his last 206 professional games between the NHL, AHL, and Sweden. Nevertheless, he earned a role on the bottom-pairing in Detroit and will look to increasing his role on the Canadiens this year.
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Looking back at David Krejci’s legacy as a Boston Bruin
Patrice Bergeron isn’t the only Boston Bruins legacy retiring this summer; David Krejci will join him after he announced his retirement on Monday.
Krejci was the 63rd overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft by the Boston Bruins. After making his debut with the team two years later in 2006-07, he would remain there for every season of his 16-year career.
The forward made it look easy to find the back of the net, scoring 231 goals and 786 points throughout 1032 games. As Daily Faceoff’s Mike McKenna reports, he had a sneaky good hockey IQ and was much grittier than what some may have expected.
At six feet tall, his size wasn’t anything to intimidate his opponents, but his willingness to compete and to win became a noticeable attribute even to his former teammate David Backes,
“What I think surprised me – going from (Krejci’s) opponent to his teammate – was his grit, toughness, and competitiveness,” Backes explained.
“He would battle hard and work hard and play through injuries that most never saw.”
Krejci will depart from the NHL with a handful of memories, friendships, and a Stanley Cup ring.
Here’s more from McKenna as looks back on the lifetime legacy Krejci made as a Bruin on Daily Faceoff:
No doubt that the feeling of community was good for Krejci. He came to North America at 18 years old, unable to speak English, but ready to chase his dream of playing in the NHL. Landing in the Bruins organization – with such a strong group of prospects in Providence – was a best-case scenario for the Bruins second round draft pick in 2004.Lashoff believes the bonds forged at the AHL level followed Krejci to Boston, where the core expanded to include Bergeron and Marchand. The chemistry of the Bruins’ young talent eventually played an integral role in delivering the franchise’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship.
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