The Edmonton Oilers bagged a nice value - especially if he’s worthy of even half of his hype - by signing Justin Schultz to an entry-level deal, but one defenseman can’t turn around a troubled group. Still, GM Steve Tambellini secured another bargain by bringing back minute-eating blueliner Jeff Petry to a two-year, $3.5 million extension.
The 24-year-old defenseman has decent size, will still be a restricted free agent when his newest deal expires and logged some pretty big ice time in his first two years with Edmonton. (His career average is 21:19 minutes per game, with 21:46 last season.) Petry had a solid 25 points in those 73 games, too, so he isn’t just killing time.
Many people, including the gang at Copper & Blue, believe that getting Petry for $1.75 million per season is quite the steal. It’s tough to disagree.