Montreal Canadiens' 'Tank Commander' Jeff Petry is back: Will his second stint with the Habs be more successful?

By Cole Shelton

Modified Aug 07, 2023 13:27 GMT

The Montreal Canadiens were part of a massive three-team deal on Sunday as Erik Karlsson was dealt to Pittsburgh, while the Habs were involved to make the cap work.

Montreal was able to acquire a second-round pick, defensemen Jeff Petry, forward Nathan Legare, and goalie Casey DeSmith. The Habs dealt Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick as the only players leaving the team.

The big acquisition was Petry who played for the Canadiens from 2014 until 2022 after spending just one year with the Penguins. With Montreal, Petry was a solid offensive defenseman as he had four straight seasons of recording 40 or more points.

However, a knock on Petry is his defensive play. Montreal fans nicknamed him the "Tank Commander," as it was part of why the Habs were one of the worst teams in the 2021-22 season.

Although Petry can score goals and move the puck well, his defensive abilities are a big issue in his game. However, Petry is well worth the trade as he is a great offensive defenseman to lead the younger core (like Kaiden Guhle, another offensive defenseman).

Even if Petry does struggle defensively, the Montreal Canadiens have solid defensive defensemen on the roster they can pair with him. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Petry run the first-pairing power play and record over 40 points once again for Montreal as he is back in a system he is comfortable with.

Will Jeff Petry play for the Montreal Canadiens all season?

Although Montreal re-acquired Jeff Petry to help strengthen their D-Core and teach the younger defensemen, he has two years left on his deal and 25% of it is being retained by the Penguins.

With that, if Montreal is not competitive by the trade deadline, which is expected to be the case, he could very well be traded away to a playoff team. The Canadiens could also retain 25% to make his cap hit very affordable for more teams and add even more prospects and picks to the system.

However, for now, Petry will be a big part of the Montreal Canadiens and should fit right back and have even more success than he did in his first stint.