A move that Jeff Petry was waiting for

There are sometimes divorces that become necessary, and in the case of Jeff Petry and the Canadian, it had become more than necessary.

Richard Labbe
The Press

First, because the Canadian wanted to pass on his contract to someone else – he has 3 years left at 6.25 million dollars as an impact on the payroll –, and then because Petry himself no longer wanted find himself so far from his family, domiciled in Michigan.

Moreover, during a video conference with the media on Sunday afternoon, the new defender of the Pittsburgh Penguins quickly noted that his new team was skating only a few hours away from home.

“Pittsburgh is four hours from our home in Michigan,” he began by saying. So it’s nice to be able to jump in the car on Friday night and be home at a reasonable hour.

“The past two years have not been easy for anyone due to COVID-19, and me, playing in Montreal, it has been difficult for our family members to travel to Canada to come and help us with the children. There were negative effects, but also several things that we liked about our stay in Montreal. But it will be nice to be closer to home now. »

At 34 and after almost eight seasons with the Canadian, Petry will now try to revive himself with a club he believes is in the right direction.

“For the past few weeks, everyone was telling me about Detroit and Dallas, but nobody was telling me about Pittsburgh… Yet when you look at what the Penguins have done in the past, when you look at their roster, you realize that it’s a big organization. »

That last bit of a sentence might sound like a solid arrow to the Canadian’s head, but during his fifteen minutes answering questions, Petry never seemed bitter towards his former team.

Relieved ? So yes, maybe.

“I was at home with two of my boys when the phone rang in another room… I saw that I had missed the call from the general manager [Kent Hughes]so I knew something was up, and then when I spoke to my agent and it was confirmed, I think everyone here was pretty happy.

“I don’t think the management of the Canadian had a different opinion on my game last season, nor do I believe that my role within the club was a problem. I had my troubles on the ice and also off the ice last season, with my family situation, and it had an impact on my game, but I found my rhythm in the second half of the season. I put some work into it and it was a good way for me to prepare for the following season. So I don’t think the club management had a different opinion about me. »

So it’s this Petry that the Penguins will find when they open their training camp in September: an invigorated defenseman, who intends to demonstrate that he is much better than what we have seen. of him last season at the Bell Centre.

“The other thing is now I won’t have to try and counter those guys! Everyone knows the talent of the Penguins players. We all know the caliber of players that are with this team…this club was built with one goal in mind, so that’s exciting for me. »

Petry thanks the Canadian on Instagram

Poehling suspected

No doubt that Ryan Poehling did not have the expected career with the Canadian.

After the first game we know against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a spectacular three-goal night, the 23-year-old could not do better than 10 goals in his next 84 games. So the news of his move to Pittsburgh, along with Petry, didn’t surprise him that much.

“I did not think of this scenario, he said Sunday afternoon in a video conference. I loved Montreal and my teammates, and what was going to happen was going to happen. But I think the Canadiens were looking to trade me to move on, and the feeling was mutual.

“I wish the best to the Canadian, but for me, it was more difficult than expected there, even if I was able to learn a lot while improving. Pittsburgh will be a great opportunity for me, I will learn from these veterans, and hopefully it will help me become the player I want to be. »