"Jeff Petry is 37 and needs to be insulated, but there are reasons to believe he could have a renaissance year and significantly outperform his league-minimum base salary. First, there is the expected change in workload. Petry averaged nearly 19 minutes per game (fourth among Red Wings defensemen) and was saddled with a subpar partner in Ben Chiarot. In other words, he was thrust into a challenging role that he was no longer equipped to handle."
"The on-ice environment and a player's fit play an underrated role in determining whether a defenseman will succeed on a given team. Cam Fowler, for example, had some of the worst underlying metrics of all NHL defensemen over the last couple of years with the Ducks and looked washed. He had an immediate, dramatic glow-up and returned to thriving in a top-four role as soon as he left Anaheim's miserable on-ice environment."
Jeff Petry signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with performance bonuses and will be 37. His expected role in Florida is a sheltered No. 6 defenseman with fewer minutes and easier defensive matchups compared with nearly 19 minutes per game in Detroit alongside Ben Chiarot. He will likely skate with Dmitry Kulikov, providing a steady partner. Florida has a history of improving out-of-favor defensemen with notable successes and some failures. Improved role, partner quality and a better on-ice environment increase the likelihood of a performance rebound and exceeding his base salary expectations.
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