Detroit Red Wings Are Making Very Surprising Scratch In Third Game Of Season

The Detroit Red Wings made a lot of moves this offseason to reshape their roster and get into the playoffs, but one of those moves is already not working out very well. Jeff Petry has had a tough start to the season through two games and the Red Wings are making him a healthy scratch for their third game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Petry is 35 years old and has two years left on his contract at a cap hit of $2.343 million AAV for the Red Wings. He was acquired in the summer from the Montreal Canadiens soon after being sent over from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Long gone are the days when he would be a force at both ends of the ice and was scoring 11+ goals and 40+ points a season. Age has started to catch up to him, but fortunately for Detroit, they have the bodies to replace him in the lineup.

Petry has only logged 16:44 of ATOI in the first two games and has gone pointless. The team dressed seven defensemen in one of the games as well. Olli Maatta will take Petry's place on the second pairing alongside Ben Chiarot and looks to pick up where he left off last season when he earned a contract with the team. The Red Wings weren't expected to be an elite team and easily get into the playoffs, but as this healthy scratch can be looked at negatively, it can also be seen as a testament to the depth the team has. Good thing Detroit has cap space available and only one more year of Petry after this season, if he's not bought out.