Jeff Petry: one of only two NHL players on three payrolls

Yesterday, the Habs put an end to Jeff Petry’s big return to town, as 10 days after repatriating him, the defenseman headed back to his native Michigan. In return, Gustav Lindström and a conditional fourth-round pick made their way to Montreal.

That said, it’s important to remember that even if the Penguins had retained 25% of the defenseman’s salary, the CH still had to retain 50% of the remaining salary (i.e. 37.5% of the total salary) to trade him to the Red Wings. No, the defender’s value wasn’t very high on the market.

In the end, though, this means that the CH and Red Wings will pay the defenseman $2.3 million (and change) in each of the next two seasons, while the Penguins will pay $1.5 million (and change) per year for two years.

Petry will therefore appear on three payrolls for the next two campaigns. It ‘s worth remembering that he couldn’t have his salary withheld a third time, but he could appear on a fourth different payroll should the Red Wings buy out his contract next summer (which isn’t likely to happen).

And that’s a rare feat in the NHL. In fact, only two players on the Bettman circuit will be paid by three teams next year: Petry and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

In Ekman-Larsson’s case, he will receive $2.25 million from the Panthers, $290,000 from the Coyotes and $2.1 million from the Canucks.

And when you look a little further, you realize that Petry is the only one whose contract has never been bought out. Ekman-Larsson’s last pact was bought out by the Canucks last June, hence the fact that they’ll be paying him for the next eight seasons (as will the Coyotes to a lesser extent, by the way).

On the other hand, the Swede’s current pact is for one year, so at present, only Petry is on track to be on three different payrolls for the next two seasons.

We can expect other double salary retention transactions between now and the end of the season, but they often occur near the trade deadline for players nearing the end of their contract. Think of Nick Bonino last year, for example, when the CH withheld 25% of his salary as a middleman in the trade between the Sharks and Penguins.

In short, Petry will be paid by three clubs for the next two seasons, and he’s the only NHL player in this precise situation. It’s a bit odd, but at least everyone seems to be getting something out of it, which is the most important thing.

In brief

– A professional tryout in Edmonton for Brandon Sutter.

– Nothing less.

– We wish him the best of luck.