Montreal's coach comments on relationship with Jeff Petry after rumours of a falling out between the two

Not much is going right for Montreal Canadiens defenceman Jeff Petry this season. In 18 games, he has just two points, both assists, and has looked like anything but his regular self on the ice. This seemed to lead to recent rumours started by a radio host in Montreal that Petry was seeking a trade due to a falling out with head coach Dominique Ducharme. Ducharme is denying those accusations.

"I get on very well with Jeff," said Ducharme on Thursday. "He's one of the players I have the most communication with. He's part of the leadership group. It goes very well. I like working with him."

Petry has had four seasons in a row of 40 or more points, but seems destined to be much lower than that this season unless something drastically changes quickly. There has also been speculation that the Habs may attempt to deal Petry before 2021-22 ends, especially if the team finds itself outside of the playoffs, which is looking very likely right now. Petry has three seasons left on his contract after this one, at a cap hit of $6.25 million annually. He also has a modified no-trade clause where he gets to submit a list of 15 teams he doesn't want to go to if a trade is imminent.

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