Defenseman Jeff Petry's 1st season with the Penguins has been 'frustrating' at times

Games in Detroit are always profound for Jeff Petry.

A son of Michigan (and the son of Detroit Tigers All-Star pitcher Dan Petry), he went to Red Wings games at Joe Louis Arena as a fan (then played there on occasion while suiting up for Michigan State).

And even if the Red Wings now play in Little Caesars Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman — 13 years into an above-average NHL existence — treats games in Detroit as special affairs.

His latest visit home, a 7-4 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday, was not special. At least not in any positive way.

While Petry did record an assist and played a role in two goals by teammates, his play in the third period was hardly worth writing home about.

Petry was on the ice for three goals by Red Wings forward David Perron, all in the final frame.

As Perron darted from the slot into the left circle with the puck, Petry vacated the front of the cage to take away a potential pass to Red Wings forward Dominik Kubalik. Perron accepted the toll-free avenue to the net and roofed a backhander over the right shoulder of goaltender Casey DeSmith for his third goal.

Such has been the 2022-23 season for Petry, his first as a member of the Penguins: some good, some bad, but mostly underwhelming.

Acquired in a multi-player trade in July with the Montreal Canadiens, Petry was expected to be a significant contributor to the Penguins as a reliable veteran who could provide depth on the right side through his blend of puck skills, strong skating and sturdy net-front capabilities.

Instead, he’s largely been inert.

Not terrible. Not awful. Just kind of there.

Through 53 games, he has 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) while averaging 22 minutes, 14 seconds of ice time.

Not great, not terrible. But with a salary cap hit of $6.25 million, second-highest on the team after forward Sidney Crosby ($8.7 million), it’s fair to say the hopes for Petry were more substantial.

Petry doesn’t dispute the notion things haven’t exactly gone as hoped. He cites injuries as having derailed some of those ambitions.

A suspected left arm injury in December sidelined him for 16 games, then a presumed head injury kept him out of the lineup for five games before he returned to the ice Tuesday.

“It’s been a frustrating — wouldn’t say year — but parts of the year,” Petry said on Monday in Cranberry. “December, missing a significant amount of time and then, coming back, feeling good, playing well and being out again. It just feels like just when I’m starting to get in a groove and feeling good and then something happens.”

Perhaps Petry’s best stretch of play began in late November. Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 10 — a period that included All-Star defenseman Kris Letang being sidelined for five games because of a stroke — Petry stepped up as the team’s top defenseman and collected four assists in eight games, including two helpers on the top power-play unit.

“The first handful of games (of the season), there was some ups and some downs and then getting into that stretch there (in late November) when I felt most comfortable with my game,” Petry said. “Just trying to pick off of those high notes and have that carry through the remainder of the games (this season).”

The Penguins have eight games remaining this regular season. Presumably, they’d like to see more from Petry than they’ve received to this point of his tenure with the organization.

Petry would like to move past the injuries that have hindered him and offer more.

“It is frustrating,” Petry said. “Not only being in (his) first year with a team, but it’s something that I haven’t dealt with too much in my career. Going through this for the first time for an extended period, especially in the position that we’re in, all these games, they’re meaningful games. It’s frustrating but at the same time, you have to make sure you’re doing the right things.”

Notes: The Penguins canceled a scheduled practice Wednesday.