We don't talk about it much, but another deal in which Kent Hughes looked like a genius was the one sending Jeff Petry to Pittsburgh. Michael Matheson quickly became the number-one defenseman, while Pittsburgh may soon have no players left from this trade. They let Ryan Poehling go, and Jeff Petry would no longer be part of their plans. Here's a reminder of the Montreal-Pittsburgh trade, about a year ago. <q>Jeff Petry and forward Ryan Poehling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for Quebec defenseman Mike Matheson and a fourth-round pick in 2023.</q> Erik Karlsson has likely played his last game in San Jose, and the Penguins are reportedly in the hottest of fights to acquire him. With his imposing salary, the way to make it all fit under the cap is to get rid of Jeff Petry. Two insiders agree that the former Habs player would have done no more than pass through Pittsburgh. They even suggest a three-team trade to make it all work. <q>In his text, Miller proposes a three-team trade that includes a significant salary redistribution. Under this proposal, San Jose would receive Jeff Petry, with 35% of his salary retained by Nashville, as well as Mikael Granlund, with 25% of his salary retained by Pittsburgh. In addition, San Jose would receive Drew O'Connor (restricted free agent) and the Penguins' first-round pick for 2025. The Penguins, meanwhile, would receive Erik Karlsson, with the Sharks agreeing to retain half his salary, or $5.75 million. And the Preds? They would receive Casey DeSmith, draft picks for 2024 and 2025, as well as a portion of Petry's salary.</q> <blockquote class=twitter-tweet><p lang=en dir=ltr>Erik Karlsson has been linked to the Penguins. What could an <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/SJSharks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#SJSharks</a> trade with the Pens look like? A third team is needed, IMO.<br><br>Read here: <a href=https://twitter.com/TheHockeyNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@TheHockeyNews</a> <a href=https://t.co/X7zjwNvS6x>https://t.co/X7zjwNvS6x</a>- Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) <a href=https://twitter.com/Real_Max_Miller/status/1678082679957516288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>July 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8> Credit: <blockquote class=twitter-tweet><p lang=en dir=ltr>After Josh Yohe, another knowledgeable journalist has linked the former CH to the Sharks → <a href=https://t.co/x9qo0YGZe2>https://t.co/x9qo0YGZe2</a>- DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) <a href=https://twitter.com/DLCoulisses/status/1678101837650489344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>July 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8>