Confirmed with Link: Petry signs a one-year contract.

[McDNicks17]

The team is going to miss Petry in the transition game if he gets traded.

Until Marincin came around last season, he was the only defenseman on the team who could actually get the puck going the other way.

 

[dustrock]

I'm not actually convinced the team is going to trade Petry.

With the closest to a full NHL squad they've had since 2006 (minus complete centers, obviously), another year of Eakins, and the addition of Ramsay, and full-time Scrivens and Fasth, I think Petry is going to have as good a year as he can.

But with respect to Petry, he's a 3-4 d-man, with very occasional flashes of some offensive skill. The replacement value for these guys is not ridiculously high.

I think he's a valuable player who has been put, like so many young Oilers, in a crappy situation for the last few years.

But I'm shocked at the level of angst from some posters and bloggers about how it's a crisis if he's not locked up long-term.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

I'm happy he's sticking around.

I don't think we're in a position to call any of our defenseman "expendable" even with the new signings. Petry is still top 4 in our group, we don't have the luxury of trading away those kinds of d-men.

One year deal gives the motivation to play his butt off: either earns his keep with us, or increases his trade value at the deadline. Seems like good asset management to me.

 

[Soundwave]

I'm not actually convinced the team is going to trade Petry.

With the closest to a full NHL squad they've had since 2006 (minus complete centers, obviously), another year of Eakins, and the addition of Ramsay, and full-time Scrivens and Fasth, I think Petry is going to have as good a year as he can.

But with respect to Petry, he's a 3-4 d-man, with very occasional flashes of some offensive skill. The replacement value for these guys is not ridiculously high.

I think he's a valuable player who has been put, like so many young Oilers, in a crappy situation for the last few years.

But I'm shocked at the level of angst from some posters and bloggers about how it's a crisis if he's not locked up long-term.

Yeah me neither. If he's taken the next step in his game by Christmas time and the team is doing well, I think you open up negotiations for a longer term extension. At least you'll know what you are paying for.

 

[Moose Coleman]

Ya but 1 very important point I've been making through the rest of my posts is that a guy like PK sets the tone of the game by making big hits, taking over offensively, and scrapping it up when necessary. Petry doesn't have those qualities. He's not a momentum booster.

Momentum is bunk. Players like PK Subban make it seem like it's real because they are dynamic players who drive the play when they're on the ice. Then they get off the ice and their impact evaporates.

I'll admit he capable of moving the puck. That's why he's had better advanced stats than the rest of our weak defence. But for every 2 or 3 good plays he makes, he makes a god awful giveaway or unnecessarily rush a play causing a loss of possession...

So that's 2 or 3 good plays to every one bad one. Seems like a great exchange to me.

 

[McDNicks17]

Petry can completely shutdown guys like Getzlaf/Perry, but have one or two blunders that create scoring chances against and people will consider it a bad game.

People might not miss him for those brain farts, but they're going to miss him for all the less obvious things he contributes to the big picture.

 

[Eirhead*]

Momentum is bunk. Players like PK Subban make it seem like it's real because they are dynamic players who drive the play when they're on the ice. Then they get off the ice and their impact evaporates.

It's called leadership.

And in regards to the good play to bad-play ratio, his point totals and +/- would like to argue it's a terrible exchange that is costing the team games.

 

[Groucho]

You watch the stats, I'll watch the games.

Mark Fistric threw extra big hits, how did that work out for us?

Petry moves the puck up the ice and manages controlled zone entries. I got that impression by watching him play the game. I'll take that over a guy mindlessly chasing the puck and looking for big hits any day of the week.

 

[Moose Coleman]

It's called leadership.

It's nonsense. PK is a great player on a mediocre team. When he';s on the ice they do great, when he's off it they are mediocre. If he was creating momentum or showing leadership, surely the team would be something at least approaching the same results without him. But the gap is staggering.

And in regards to the good play to bad-play ratio, his point totals and +/- would like to argue it's a terrible exchange that is costing the team games.

Hmm. I wonder then: how awful must Taylor Hall be? All those points and he's still a minus player.

 

[sepHF]

Petry can completely shutdown guys like Getzlaf/Perry, but have one or two blunders that create scoring chances against and people will consider it a bad game.

People might not miss him for those brain farts, but they're going to miss him for all the less obvious things he contributes to the big picture.

Yup, totally agree.

People will only remember a 10 second blip of the game and completely disregard the other 21 minutes he played solid hockey.

The Oilers facebook group is just depressing, 90% of people are just calling for Petrys head, saying he's garbage, calling him our worst defenseman etc. It blows me away how many people are completely clueless when it comes to Petry.

 

[Eirhead*]

Mark Fistric threw extra big hits, how did that work out for us?

Petry moves the puck up the ice and manages controlled zone entries. I got that impression by watching him play the game. I'll take that over a guy mindlessly chasing the puck and looking for big hits any day of the week.

All I was doing was arguing against the RIDICULOUS claim that Petry could be a #1. He's missing elements in his game. So ya, compare him to an AHL call up to make him look good - lol...

 

[sepHF]

I said big hits. Not a little muscling for a puck. There's a big difference in how that influences the momentum of a game. I stand by my original statement. Petry doesn't lay big hits.

He's physical enough... he led our team in hits, does a good job of using his body to seperate guys from the puck.

Not every defenseman needs to lay huge punishing hits... look at a guy like Lidstrom, he was an amazing defenseman and he would never hit anyone. It's not as big of a deal as people think.

 

[Soundwave]

Here's the reality too ... when you have a team with like five top 3 picks, there isn't money to pay everyone in the long term.

You have to pick and choose your battles, the Oilers have actually done a fairly decent job in managing their cap structure.

Getting out of the Smid contract in hindsight was the correct move and I think not biting on giving Petry a long term deal was a reasonable decision to make with Yakupov and Marincin as pending RFAs next summer.

We don't have an endless supply of cap room guys for a guy like Petry, he really has to show why we should be paying him on a long term deal.

 

[Eirhead*]

It's nonsense. PK is a great player on a mediocre team. When he';s on the ice they do great, when he's off it they are mediocre. If he was creating momentum or showing leadership, surely the team would be something at least approaching the same results without him. But the gap is staggering.

So then Petry can carry us to the conference finals???? What exactly are you arguing.

 

[sepHF]

It's called leadership.

And in regards to the good play to bad-play ratio, his point totals and +/- would like to argue it's a terrible exchange that is costing the team games.

Look at him in relation to his peers...
Petry -22
J.Schultz -22
Ference -18

This team is garbage and their goaltending annihilated their +/- at the start of the year. Petry shouldn't be playing 23m a night on the top pairing, against other teams top lines, playing with rookie partners all year or else his +/- won't be great (especially when you add Dubnyk into the equation)

 

[Moose Coleman]

So then Petry can carry us to the conference finals???? What exactly are you arguing.

Petry, while no Subban, is the Oilers' best d-man in terms of Things That Matter so his lack of proficiency in Things That Don't Matter (Big Hits that Set The Tone (tm) for example) isn't really worth worrying about.

 

[T-Funk]

Go into the corner with Petry: you will not be harmed and you will get the puck.

 

[Eirhead*]

Petry, while no Subban, is the Oilers' best d-man in terms of Things That Matter so his lack of proficiency in Things That Don't Matter (Big Hits that Set The Tone (tm) for example) isn't really worth worrying about.

I don't absolutely loathe Petry. I think he's ok. But i don't care for his gamesmanship and I think the people claiming he could be a #1 need their heads checked.

 

[Moose Coleman]

I don't absolutely loathe Petry. I think he's ok. But i don't care for his gamesmanship and I think the people claiming he could be a #1 need their heads checked.

Gamesmanship? What does that mean?

Has anyone actually said he's a real #1? On a good team, he'd be an excellent 3D, maybe a 2D if paired with a bona fide #1. As it stands, he's the best we've got.

 

[Eirhead*]

It's a word, go find a dictionary.

 

[Moose Coleman]

It's a word, go find a dictionary.

I know what it means. I strongly suspect you do not since your usage in this context makes no sense.

 

[Man Purse]

forget it Moose...

if Pety would block shots with his ball sac, chirp after the play, slap dik and bow up to his opponent they would call him a "warrior"...

a friendly reminder.. being a "warrior" still gets you traded out of here if you can't play hockey

 

[guymez]

Interesting read.

For many its somehow Petrys fault that (for his entire Oiler career) he has been surrounded by junk and forced to play above his pay grade. This misuse of the player exposes him from time to time and fans jump all over the player.

Talk about short sighted.

I guess some fans just need a whipping boy.

 

[Aerchon]

Interesting read.

For many its somehow Petrys fault that (for his entire Oiler career) he has been surrounded by junk and forced to play above his pay grade. This misuse of the player exposes him from time to time and fans jump all over the player.

Talk about short sighted.

I guess some fans just need a whipping boy.

I think of myself pro Petry but can not ignore his mental breakdowns.

One of the recent arguments for Petry is that he is surrounded by junk and saddled with rookies.

Gotta say that is a load of crap. Talk about making excuses. The worst thing is that Petry was playing like garbage at the start of the year and was called out on several occasions for his many blunders. It was not until a rookie came in to help him out that he turned his game around. To say he was saddled with a rook is extremely misleading. I am sure they helped each other but Petry without Marincin was a train wreck.

 

[Moose Coleman]

I think of myself pro Petry but can not ignore his mental breakdowns.

One of the recent arguments for Petry is that he is surrounded by junk and saddled with rookies.

Gotta say that is a load of crap. Talk about making excuses. The worst thing is that Petry was playing like garbage at the start of the year and was called out on several occasions for his many blunders. It was not until a rookie came in to help him out that he turned his game around. To say he was saddled with a rook is extremely misleading. I am sure they helped each other but Petry without Marincin was a train wreck.

Ironically, Petry without Marincin was still better than most every other Oilers D, including Justin Schultz.