Petry's elevated his play to a whole new level. We could get so much for him but who would we replace him with? It's tough because you want the young players and picks but no one is ready to step up and take his spot.
If someone wants to trade Petry because he has value, how does that make him under or unappreciated?
The first question is whether MON will want to re-sign Petry as a 34 year old and protect him at the expansion draft in Seattle. Overpay him for too much term? I wouldn't.
Then, even if you did want to re-sign him and he agreed to re-sign here, how much longer would he really be at a high level still (if he hadn't already begun slipping)?
During his next two years after this one, will MON be contending for anything in the postseason?
Since I wouldn't want to re-sign him in two more years after this one and risk losing a younger D in Juulsen or Mete for Petry at that stage in his career, and since I don't think we will be contending over the next two years after this one, isn't it more logical to move Petry at a time where he is at peak value, with little enough term that we could easily eat up half his Cap in a trade and really raise his value to a cap-strapped contender that has either just entered their window of opportunity or is just entering their window?
Petry has a degree of choice as to his next destination with a list of 15 teams he would agree to be traded to, but would he really, at 31 (going on 32), refuse to be moved to a legitimate contender for a chance at a Cup before he retires?
And I'm not even a tanking enthusiast. I believe that Petry, at 2.75M, providing a contender with three cracks at a Cup because their current D is that much better with him than without him, can nab us a late first rounder and a quality LD prospect.
In three or four years, when we are better poised for a run at the Cup, those assets will be more valuable than Petry then and petty in the meantime.