Hughes is considered a genius because of this trade: the Penguins already want to get rid of Jeff Petry

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MarcO
July 10, 2023 (8:58)

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Upon his arrival as the general manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes quickly demonstrated his ability to make excellent trades. Besides trading Kirby Dach and Sean Monahan, he pulled off a real masterstroke by acquiring Mike Matheson.

Indeed, last July 16th, the Habs sent Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for the 29-year-old Quebec defenseman Mike Matheson and a fourth-round pick in 2023.

Just a season later, the newcomer to the Canadiens established himself as a pivotal player in Martin St-Louis's lineup. His extraordinary mobility and exceptional game vision make him a key element in the offensive zone. Mike Matheson notably contributed to the offense with 34 points in 48 games last year, all for an annual salary of only $4.875 million.

On the other hand, Jeff Petry is now 35 years old and showed signs of significant slowdown this season. With a salary of $6.25 million for the next two years, the veteran has become a considerable financial burden for the organization. As for Ryan Poehling, the forward only played one season with the Pens (14 points in 53 games) before being released. He has just signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.

What a smoking move by Kent Hughes!

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In fact, many experts have mentioned in recent days that the Penguins' management is currently trying to acquire Norris Trophy recipient Erik Karlsson. Moreover, according to two very well-informed sources on the subject, Kyle Dubas would like to include Jeff Petry in the transaction in order to simply liquidate his huge contract.

«In his text, Miller proposes a three-team trade that involves a significant redistribution of salaries.

According to this proposition, San Jose would receive Jeff Petry, whose 35% of the salary would be retained by Nashville, as well as Mikael Granlund, whose 25% of the salary would be retained by Pittsburgh.

In addition, San Jose would get Drew O'Connor (restricted free agent) and the Penguins' first-round pick for 2025.

The Penguins, for their part, would receive Erik Karlsson, with the Sharks agreeing to retain half his salary, or $5.75 million.

And the Preds in this transaction? They would get Casey DeSmith, the draft picks for 2024 and 2025, and a portion of Petry's salary.»

Ouch! While the Canadiens have got their hands on an incredibly talented defenseman, the Penguins are left with a player who is no longer part of the team's future plans. One thing is certain, Kent Hughes must be very proud of his trade right now.

Do you think this trade ranks in the top 3 trades made by the CH general manager since he took over the team?

Credit: DansLesCoulisses.com

Previously on All Habs

Trade alert: The new destination of Alex DeBrincat is now known

Elliotte Friedman made a very surprising statement about an offer sheet involving the Canadiens and K'Andre Miller

Huge last-minute news concerning Brendan Gallagher

POLL
10 JUILLET \| 103 ANSWERS Hughes is considered a genius because of this trade: the Penguins already want to get rid of Jeff Petry Are you satisfied with the trade Kent Hughes made last summer to acquire Mike Matheson?
Yes	98	95.1 %
No	5	4.9 %
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