We have just learned that Kent Hughes would have had two opportunities to trade Jeff Petry

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Jeff Drouin
May 3, 2022 (9:32 PM)

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The 2021-2022 season of the Habs is only a few days old and already, speculation is starting to build on what Kent Hughes will do to improve his team for next season.

Max Truman of Danslescoulisses.com reported that during the post-season wrap-up on Saturday, defenseman Jeff Petry opened the door to returning to Montreal next year, despite the fact that he has asked the team's management to trade him.

Petry had a great end to the season with 21 points in his last 28 games and many experts mentioned that this could significantly increase the value of the defenseman for a possible trade.

Former Canadiens goaltender and now Journal de Montréal columnist Jose Theodore said in his column on Tuesday that Kent Hughes had two opportunities to trade Petry but refused to let him go at a discount.

"Kent Hughes was transparent in saying he could have traded Jeff Petry twice. I also liked the defenseman's lengthy media availability. I wouldn't have a problem seeing him in Montreal again, and he showed some openness. It's easier to understand what he's been through, separated from his family. If Hughes traded him, he would be hard to replace. It takes good value and youth in return."

The Habs general manager has repeated a few times that he will only trade Petry if the deal is good for the team. He has also said in recent weeks that he is not really interested in buying out contracts.

We know that Petry has three seasons left on his contract at $6.25 million per year and the fact that he had a strong finish to the season could make it a good time to trade him.

It's been a tough year for the defenseman in many ways, and the idea of getting a fresh start somewhere else could well motivate him to revive his career with a new team.

Let's face it, he finished very well!