It's a matter of selling high and managing your assets to eventually win a cup (or at least reach the scf and give a good fight). Nothing to do with tanking. If you want to do the playoffs and exit them in the 1st or 2nd round keep Petry. If you want to win a bigger trophy in the next 5 years then sell him. By the time this team will be ready he'll be too old and his value is as high as it will ever be. His value can only go down from here.
You just said "it has nothing to with tanking." And then in the next sentence "if you want to do the playoffs and exit the 1st or 2nd round keep him."
I don't know what semantics you're talking about, but the point is clear - trading him is bad for the present, but good for the future. It's good for the future for 2 reasons: 1) as you said the young assets will help us when we're ready to win. 2) it makes us worse now and gives us a better draft pick. To ignore the 2nd part is just flat out dishonest.
Anyways, I don't see Bergevin doing anything to weaken our team in the short-term, unless we're not in the playoff picture at the deadline. Even then I'll have to try to assess his perspective from his comments/body language. But I think it's pretty clear he wants to make the playoffs this year, and wouldn't trade Petry form a suspect dcore.
I'm in favor of trading Petry and building for the future. Not now, because I don't think his value has peaked. He has a certain reputation going back to when he was available for a 2nd when we acquired him. If he's top 10 in the NHL in points by dmen at the deadline, after not such a short sample, then I think his value will be high. Not sure I want a late 1st for him though. I want a real good prospect or a potential lottery pick, perhaps a 1st from a team that's on the bubble when it comes to making the playoffs.