Jack Todd: Canadiens GM Hughes performed magic with latest ...
It’s possible no other player in the storied history of the Canadiens has been involved in three trades that worked out so well for the CH.
Author of the article:
Jack Todd • Special to Montreal Gazette
Published Aug 07, 2023 • 4 minute read
It was a move so deft that at first I thought it had to be a mistake.
Jeff Petry returning to the Canadiens? Surely not. Someone had confused the trade when he was sent to the Penguins for something that happened on a sleepy August Sunday.
But no, Petry is back. (Or was — I have the sense that this is Part One and that by the time you read this, Petry may already have been dealt elsewhere. Such is the curse of deadlines.)
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But for the time being, at least, Petry and his legendary eyes are back on the Habs roster, which is welcome news no matter how this unfolds.
Better still, noted rocket scientist and salary-cap problem Mike Hoffman has found the way to San Jose, as GM Kent Hughes cleans away more of the troublesome underbrush left behind by his predecessor. (We’re sorry to see Rem Pitlick go but at 26, he is eminently replaceable.)
If you follow the bouncing ball, you will note that in the span of barely more than a year, Hughes has managed to:
Grant Petry’s wish by trading him to an American team while receiving equal value in Mike Matheson, a younger player with comparable skills and a lower cap hit.
Get Petry back, with the Penguins picking up 25 per cent of his salary, in return for Hoffman, who was essentially a roster problem.
Pick up a second-round pick in 2025 along with the fourth-rounder he acquired when Petry was dealt to the Penguins in the first place.
Yes, yes. Ryan Poehling was a part of the first deal, Casey DeSmith and AHL winger Nathan Légaré come to Montreal in this one, but let’s stick with the part that matters: Hughes dealt Petry to pry Matheson out of Pittsburgh, then structured another Petry deal to get the veteran back with a lower cap hit while dumping Hoffman.
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All in all, it’s possible that no other player in the long and glorious history of the Canadiens has been involved in three trades that worked out so well for the CH. The 2015 deal to acquire Petry from Edmonton for a 2015 second-rounder and a conditional fifth-rounder was one of the best of Marc Bergevin’s career.
This is a tantalizing move on the part of the Canadiens. Has Julie Petry reconciled herself to this city now that COVID restrictions are not in place? Does Hughes elect to keep Petry and go for a playoff spot this coming season? Does the second shoe drop as early as this week, with Petry moving on? Or does the infinitely patient Hughes wait until the trade deadline to move the veteran defenceman to a contender?
Whatever, Hughes has once again proven adept at navigating the minefield of NHL trades. To get rid of Hoffman would have been enough. To get Petry in return is simply astounding.
A True World Cup: Read ‘em and weep: Of the final 16 teams to make the knockout round at the World Cup, five were distinct outsiders — Colombia, Jamaica, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Gone were Germany, Brazil, China, Italy and (yes) Canada. The mighty U.S. survived only because its MVP against Portugal was the woodwork, only to fall to Sweden in the round of 16.
Germany, ranked second in the world behind the U.S., lost to Colombia in the group stage, then bowed out when it could manage no better than a 1-1 draw against South Korea without making the round of 16.
Two of the African sides are already gone — South Africa held its own in a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands and Nigeria took powerhouse England to the limit Monday before bowing 4-2 on penalties. Colombia, Jamaica and Morocco are still in it and at least one will advance to the quarterfinal because Colombia and Jamaica play each other Tuesday.
With the field expanded to 32 teams, women’s soccer has proven that there is no shortage of quality sides. The matches, for the most part, have been fast and exciting like the players.
This has been a competition for young stars like Colombia’s 18-year-old Linda Caicedo, Australia’s Mary Fowler, England’s Lauren James (sent off with a red card against Nigeria) and 23-year-old Hinata Miyazawa (leading the Golden Boot competition with five goals for a Japanese team that appears likely to win the championship) while Canada’s Christine Sinclair, Brazil’s Marta and Megan Rapinoe of the U.S. either were not effective or became (in Rapinoe’s case) unfair targets after their teams bowed out.
Bottom line? The world game now belongs to the world on the women’s side as well. Those who love women’s hockey can only watch and wish. A quarter-century after the women’s game debuted at the Nagano Olympics, the U.S. and Canada remain the only two viable contenders to win any major competition — and there’s no cure in sight.
Heroes: Jeff Petry, Shawn Lemon, Austin Mack, William Stanback, Hinata Miyazawa, Linda Caicedo, Megan Rapinoe, &&&& last but not least, Kent Hughes.
Zeros: The USWNT, Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Noah Gragson, Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.
Now and forever.
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