The Panthers have signed defenseman Jeff Petry to a league-minimum contract for 2025-26 with performance bonuses, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic.
Remarkably, Petry has turned the worst season of his professional career into an agreement with the defending Stanley Cup champions. Although he was limited by injury during the 2024-25 campaign, Petry finished with one goal and eight points in 44 games with a -2 rating, which averages out to an 82-game average of two goals and 15 points.
His value appears even less favorable when examining some of his advanced metrics. Petry finished with a 43.2% CorsiFor% at even strength, which was the lowest of any defenseman on the Red Wings during the 2024-25 campaign. According to MoneyPuck, Petry had the lowest Expected Goals Creation on the Detroit team last season, indicating that the worst performances occurred when he was on the ice.
Nevertheless, he’ll be tasked with far less responsibility in Sunrise. The Panthers are retaining every member of their Stanley Cup-winning team, aside from Jaycob Megna, and Petry will immediately become the team’s seventh option. Petry will become the third right-handed defenseman on the team behind Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad, and he could fill in on occasion if they want to balance out their handedness.
At any rate, Petry’s numbers should improve in limited ice time, simply by being on a better team. Still, he’s a far cry from the defenseman he used to be during his prime with the Montreal Canadiens.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.