Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers steal a longtime NHL veteran from the Detroit Red Wings

During the start of free agency, GM Bill Zito decided to add talent to their defensive depth. That player? Jeff Petry.

Petry, a Michigan native, will, instead of residing in the frigid temperatures of the Northern US climate will head to Sunrise.

Assuring him a chance he'll be able to play in this year's Winter Classic, in a beach town. Awfully ironic considering it all.

Brad Gralli reports that the deal with the Panthers will be a one-year deal, after his $6.25 million AAV deal in Detroit expired.

This season, Petry dealt with an injury that kept him out of the lineup for a significant amount of time, and he'd only play 44 games for the Red Wings this season. He'd only score 8 points (1-7).

Petry's playoff pedigree must've been what sold him to Zito, as he helped push the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup finals, scoring 13 points (5-8-13) in 48 playoff games.

Petry has played a total of 981 games during his NHL career and scored 385 points (96-289).

He began his career in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers (2010-11), and would join the Montreal Canadiens during the 2014-15 season, where he'd remain until he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022-23.

Petry will get a fresh start in Florida, and hopefully will be healthy when the season starts.