Following his first four seasons in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, Petry arrived in Montreal via a trade during the 2014-15 season. Here's what he had to say about his time in the city and with the club:
[Montreal]'s been a special place, and it's a privilege to put on that uniform with so much history. I've learned over my four-and-a-half years here, how much pride I take from putting on that uniform every day.
When I was with Edmonton, [Montreal] was always my favorite building to come play in. Even when you do it 41 times a year, it doesn't wear off. The atmosphere is still second to none.
In 385 games with the Canadiens, Jeff Petry has registered 52 goals and 179 points - including three consecutive 40-point seasons most recently, meaning a change of scenery wasn't ever in the plans:
When I got the initial call that Marc Bergevin wanted to work on an extension, I knew it made sense for me and there was a very strong chance that I was going to be coming back. I've enjoyed my time in Montreal so far and the organization has been nothing but great to me, so when this opportunity came up, it was something that I couldn't pass up.
Petry's extension isn't the first major transaction by Marc Bergevin this fall - coming after acquisitions of goaltender Jake Allen and defenseman Joel Edmundson. Add to that the promising performances of young guns like Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki during the playoffs, and the future is bright according to Petry:
Adding Allen to be with [Carey Price] back there, I think that's a great addition, especially with the potential of playing a condensed schedule next year. And then strengthening our defense and getting a little bit bigger on the back end is also a positive by adding Edmundson as well. I know there are still improvements that can be made […] but it's definitely a step forward.
