Canadiens GM Kent Hughes open to trading Jeff Petry

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes may be new to his post, but he's already examining some of his options as he likely finds himself staring down a rebuild.

Defenseman Ben Chiarot has already been mentioned in recent trade rumors, and Hughes added fellow blue-liner Jeff Petry into the mix Sunday.

In an interview with La Presse's Guillaume Lefrancois, Hughes said he and Jeff Gorton, Montreal's executive vice president of hockey operations, recently met with the struggling Petry to address his future.

"We are aware of what's going on in your life. It's not the ideal situation for playing. At the same time, you are a part of this team. If there's an opportunity for a trade that works for both sides, we will trade you," Hughes said of their message to the veteran, as translated by theScore.

"But until that ideal situation presents itself, you are part of the Canadiens, and you have to give maximum effort."

Hughes said Petry didn't request a trade.

The Canadiens are at the bottom of the league with an 8-29-7 record, which is a far way to fall after the team made the Stanley Cup Final last season.

"I would say we're viewing it as we're open to everything," Hughes said of the organization's position with the trade deadline approaching, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

"We don't feel this immediate need to get everything done at the trade deadline," he added.

Petry has registered one goal and five assists in 37 games this season, a significant drop from the 2020-21 campaign when he put up 42 points over 55 contests.

The Michigan native was key to Montreal's playoff run last year. He posted six points while averaging over 24 minutes of ice time across 20 games.

Petry is playing out the first season of a four-year contract carrying a $6.25-million cap hit. His deal includes a 15-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly.