A bit about Jeff Petry’s comfort zone

New Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry is 35, and I think that Wings fans’ expectations of Petry have been pretty realistic.

Petry doesn’t skate as fast as he used to, and he’s probably not going to post 45+ points any more, but a realistic 25-30 points in a second or third-pair, power play specialist’s role would be fantastic for a Wings team that has struggled to score from the blueline.

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson notes, Petry also seems to be a pretty chill dude (a far cry from the rumors of a twitchy, itchy, high-maintenance guy with “many allergies” that the Montreal Canadiens’ French-speaking fan base spread late this summer):

Petry has been busy preparing for his first season as a Red Wing after coming to the team from Montreal over the summer.

“Feeling better and better every day,” he said. “Obviously, coming in, stepping into a new system, that takes a little bit of time and I felt better as that first preseason game went on and the next one kind of built off of that.”

Petry has made a good impression on his new team.

“He’s a veteran solid player,” fellow defenseman Jake Walman said. “He takes command out there. It’s nice having him. It feels steady. Off the ice he’s got a lot of wisdom as well. He’s been places that we all want to be, those games late in the season, so we can lean on him a little bit. ”

The Red Wings and coach Derek Lalonde expect to lean on Petry for his skills, too.

“He’s an experienced guy (and) he’s a pro,” Lalonde said. “He comes every day to work, but he also knows what he needs to get out of the exhibition (season).”

Continued; Petry may or may not be allergic as all heck given the unseasonably warm weather that Metro Detroit is experiencing, but he’s definitely appeared calm and collected on the blueline so far, and he’s likely going to get better as he finds his hockey “comfort zone.”