Jake Allen's comments about Jeff Petry take everyone by surprise

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Jeff Drouin
June 25, 2022 (11:44)

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If we go back to the beginning of the season, it was obvious that this team, despite their great run to the finals last year, was no longer the same.

With the departure of some veterans like Phillip Danault and Corey Perry, combined with the absence of captain Shea Weber and Carey Price, the Habs finally had a season of misery by finishing last in the overall standings.

Still, some players showed some leadership in the locker room, and as Fanadiens.com's Patrick Beauséjour and Danslescoulisses.com's Charles-Alexis Brisebois report, one Habs player in particular stood out in this area.

In an interview with La Presse newspaper, goaltender Jake Allen said Jeff Petry was among the players who helped fill Weber's leadership absence in the room.

"Other players have filled the void. I've been really impressed, especially with guys like Gally Brendan Gallagher, Suzy Nick Suzuki and Jeff Petry."

Apparently, Petry was one of the Montreal Canadiens' big leaders this season.

Many people might be surprised by this due to the fact that the American defenseman had requested a trade last fall and not to mention the whole saga surrounding his family situation due to the health measures in place in Quebec last winter. At one point, he really didn't seem to want to be here.

So we can understand a little better why Kent Hughes would want to replace Petry with a veteran, if of course the latter were to be traded by the team this summer.

Allen was also asked who might be named the next team captain. Without getting too far ahead of himself, he talked about Nick Suzuki, mentioning that he was an excellent candidate for the job.

"I think a lot of people have learned from Shea. Obviously, Nick is one of those people, but he's still young and it's going to depend on the direction he Hughes wants to take the club."