Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry out indefinitely with lower-body injury

It’s been a nightmare campaign for Petry, who’s in the first season of a four-year contract with a $6.25 million cap hit that he signed with the Canadiens during the 2020 offseason. After a career year in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, which saw him put up 42 points in 55 games, he’s had a significant drop-off this year, with just 16 points in 57 games.

It’s reported that Petry might join his family in Michigan if he’s out for a significant amount of time. Considering that the team has plans to honor his trade request in the summer, Thursday’s game could potentially be Petry’s last game as a member of the Montreal Canadiens if he’s out for the remainder of the season.

While Petry’s presence on the blue line will be missed, it won’t make much of a difference for the Canadiens' postseason chances, as on Friday night, they became the first team this season to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. With Petry and Shea Weber out with injury, and Ben Chiarot and Brett Kulak traded at the deadline, the backend has several holes as they head into Saturday night’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs.