The Montreal Canadiens decided to hang on to one of their trade-deadline acquisitions, signing defenseman Jeff Petry to a six-year contract worth $33 million.
Petry was traded to the Canadiens from the Edmonton Oilers on March 2 in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a conditional fifth-round pick. The 27-year-old was third on Montreal in time on ice during his first taste of playoff action.
"I knew that Montreal was at the top of the list. When they approached me, it was something that I wanted to strongly consider." - Petry
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 2, 2015
Petry's $5.5-million cap hit makes him the fourth-highest-paid player on the Canadiens behind netminder Carey Price, and defensemen P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov.
Other defenceman with a $5.5M AAV (like Petry's extension): Brooks Orpik, Dan Girardi, Matt Carle.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 2, 2015
The deal, which includes a no-trade clause, leaves Montreal with more than $27 million committed to five blue-liners, with restricted free-agent forward Alex Galchenyuk likely eyeing a substantial raise on his second contract. In signing Petry, the Canadiens solidified their defense by hamstringing their financial ability to improve their scoring through free agency.
"My wife and I made a decision that we strongly wanted to come back. We're happy a deal could be made rather quickly." - Petry
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 2, 2015
