Long Gone Canadiens Land In Intriguing New Spots

The latest Montreal Canadiens’ UFAs weren't the only former Habs to change teams yesterday. A pair of long-gone Canadiens landed in intriguing new markets with interesting new contracts.

Since making the Stanley Cup Final with the Canadiens in 2021, offensive defenseman Jeff Petry has struggled to find his form. When the Habs traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2022 offseason, he probably had hope that things would fall into place quickly on a team featuring the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, but that’s not what happened, far from it. The very next offseason, the Penguins traded him back to Montreal in a package that netted them Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick.

Hughes then sent him to the Detroit Red Wings for Gustav Lindstrom and a fourth-round pick at the 2025 draft. A Michigan native, Petry was ecstatic to be going home, but his two-season stint with the Wings was great, too; he put up 32 points in 117 games and became a UFA on July 1.

Even though he’s now 37 years old, Petry wasn’t ready to retire, but given his recent performances, he didn’t have that many suitors. Ultimately, he signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers. The deal has a base salary of $775,000 but includes several performance bonuses. The veteran would like to win a Stanley Cup before retiring, and he has decided to bet on the repeat Champions achieving a three-peat next season.

As for Jonathan Drouin, after a disastrous stay in Montreal in which he struggled with mental health issues, he joined the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent on a one-year deal with an AAV of $825,000. After a convincing first season in which he scored 56 points in 79 games, Colorado signed him to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.

Due to injuries, the Quebecer was only able to play in 43 games this season, but he still managed to put up 37 points, averaging 0.86 points per game. Still, Drouin found himself a UFA on July 1st, and he was signed to a two-year pact with a $4 M cap hit by the New York Islanders.

In Long Island, Drouin will find QMJHL rival Anthony Duclair and coach Patrick Roy, whom he gave nightmares to in the juniors. We wish both Drouin and Petry the best of luck with their new team.