Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
With all the rumors surrounding Jeff Petry, it sounds like it's a matter of not if but when Petry is shipped out of Edmonton.
The Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings have all been linked to defensemen by some of the most reputable hockey reporters, and would all figure to have at least moderate interest in Petry.
Today the hotstove examines which of those teams, or one off the radar, would be the best fit for his services.
Todd Cordell: Ottawa Senators To me this is a no brainer. After Erik Karlsson and a couple of the Sens' young puck movers, notably Cody Ceci, their defense is an absolute tire fire, and Petry would be able to log a ton of minutes there.
The team is allowing 36 shots per game, which is only .7 ahead of the last place Sabres, and if it weren't for stellar goaltending thus far they'd probably be a couple games under .500.
Though Petry is arguably the best defenseman on the Oilers, they haven't treated him overly well and seem hell bent on trading him sooner than later.
He won't come for nothing, but the Senators could probably get him relatively cheap. Though Petry is a UFA in July, the Sens wouldn't have to break the bank to extend him and with Marc Methot expected to test free agency he'd be a more than adequate replacement.
Worst case scenario the Sens could add him cheap to try and improve their playoff chances, and if he walks they still don't lose much a la Ales Hemsky's situation last year.
Matt Henderson: Pittsburgh Penguins Here’s the story on Jeff Petry. He’s a steady defender entering the prime years of his career. He’s a capable puck mover but not in a way that will garner him a lot of points, just move the puck effectively out of his own zone and onto the stick of a waiting forward. He is, right now, probably the Oilers’ best defender. The team only started winning when they started playing him more than Justin Schultz and he’s leading their blueline in the fancy stats with Ference as his partner, and Ference is one of the weakest Oilers most nights.
That said, he’s a UFA at the end of the year and the Oilers haven’t exactly shown a lot of confidence in him so far in his career. They lowballed him on his 2nd last contract then wouldn’t commit long term on his latest one. Hitting the UFA market as a defenseman is basically the right to print money, so unless they offer him a long term deal I think it’s a given he walks away from the Oilers. That means they need to move eventually. The problem is the team needs him right now. He is a pillar in their foundation of winning.
I don’t know where the best place for him to land would be but Friedman reported that the Flyers were interested. The Oilers wouldn’t want to move him to another Western Conference team so I think an ideal club is in the East and already has a number 1 Right-Handed Defenseman. Petry can handle taking on the best players in the Western Conference every night but he doesn’t add much offense and you wouldn’t plant him on the PP. The best place for him might be somewhere like Pittsburgh where the only Righty that’s played on their back end has been Letang. He can play 18-20 minutes a night and be very effective for a club like that.
James Tanner: Dallas Stars What team wouldn't benefit from having him? I think he's a pretty solid Dman. He's 26, should be just coming into his own, has good size (6'3) and can move the puck.
I know the consensus is the Oilers will make a trade sooner than later, and I know fans are criticizing the way the coach has deployed Petry, but if I was them, I would be in no rush to move him.
Seriously though, I hate to be a fence-sitter, but what team couldn't use an extra quality NHL defenseman?
You have to think the Leafs and Stars jump immediately to mind as teams desperate for quality NHL defenseman. Then there's Boston and Philly too. 3 of those 4 teams are up against the cap and the Stars have less than 3 million.
Then there's the contract: 1 year, $3 mill cap-hit. Does this hurt or increase his value? If I'm trading for a guy, I'd pay for for someone signed long-term to a value contract, but then again, roster flexibility is almost as good an asset as a player. Conclusions: depends on the team.
The Oilers have a solid and yet unspectacular defense. While they wait for Klefbom and Nurse, it might be best to hold onto a guy like Petry unless the move is to bail on yet another season.
Then again, if they aren't interested in paying him 4.5 on a five year deal, maybe getting an asset now is the best move, especially with the market for D being so strong right now.
This is more complicated than I thought. Final answer: Dallas. They have a bit of cap room and - I think - the worst D among potential contenders.
Ed Stein: Anaheim Ducks I'm not sure if the best fit for Petry and the best return for the Oilers will coincide. In addition, his pending UFA status will limit the amount of suitors for him.
Philly is a good option considering their injury depleted back line, however, once guys get healthy he could see his playing time drastically reduced, which would diminish his value on the open market. It would be a better deal for Edmonton than Petry.
I've said for a while that the Rangers need a physical force like Petry in their defense corps. He could be an interesting “Plan B… if they decide not to re-sign their pending free agent Mark Staal. The question here is are the Rangers willing to pay the price right now. Probably not, but I can see it becoming more likely around the end of the year.
That brings me to my wild card pick the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have a young dynamic defense, but they aren't very physical and are prone to making mistakes. If GM Bob Murray had it to do over again, I'm sure he would opt for Petry over Clayton Stoner. The Ducks have the pieces for this trade to work without putting a major dent into their deep farm system. Finally, the Ducks are a serious cup contender and their window will be opened for a few years. A shot at winning a cup may be worth a discount when Petry becomes a free agent. The rub on this one is it would give Anaheim nine defensemen. Murray would need to make another deal.
Tim Chiasson: San Jose Sharks I think San Jose would be a good fit for Petry. Matt Irwin and Scott Hannan simply shouldn't be playing regular roles.
The Sharks defense has not been up to standard this year and Petry could provide some more stability in their own end. Petry's Corsi numbers have been around the top of the Oilers on a regular basis, not that Edmonton's Corsi's have been great but he's of the best of the worst.
I think Petry has been able to put up decent numbers on a horrible team and that his play would improve in the general eye considerably if he was wearing teal. The easy answer would have been Boston and Philadelphia but after the start that San Jose has had they should be kicking tires on serviceable defenders that are available to improve the back end.
I'm not going to speculate what the asking price would be but I think that Petry would do well in San Jose and definitely help out a blue-line in need of a boost.
Adam French: Edmonton I know we should fan the flames of the rumour mill for fun and I can think of a few teams that might want his services (Toronto and Dallas spring to mind), but the best place for Petry is Edmonton. He's their best defenseman and it isn't even close. What Eakins was doing at the start of the year with the benching and healthy scratching was...head scratching. Petry in most worlds is the ideal second pairing defender, a guy that could be a good number three or a perfect number four on a contender. Sadly he's a number one guy on the Oilers and miscast, but he's needed. He kills penalties and provides a small spark of offense every now and then despite limited offensive usage. Heck, he's only 26 as well, the perfect age for this "rebuild." If Edmonton moves him, it will likely be a mistake unless it is Petry demanding out.
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Where do you think is the best fit for Jeff Petry and/or who could use him the most? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
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