Edited Dec. 13, 2019 at 4:28 p.m.
Quoting: GMs
Petry is a top30 Dman in the league, Jensen is what top 100 ? Petry is an excellent #3 and Jensen #5. You can’t compare those 2, Petry just turn 32 but is a fluide skater + a late bloomer. He won’t decline for the next 4 years. Jensen is just a plug if Petry gets traded for a 1st + 2nd, giving time to Brook to improve in Laval. Petry is worth a 1st + 2nd round pick no salary retained, so retained 2.75M, you are sending Jensen
Depending what we're ranking, sure. You can't really compare Jensen's current shutodown role in WSH to Petry's more offensive role in MTL, but the last two years in Detroit, Jensen played the same kind of 2nd pair two-way role almost as well as Petry on a slightly worse team.
At even strength points over the last two seasons, combined, Petry was 15th among RHD and Jensen only 43rd, so that's a difference of an average top pairing guy to a slightly above average 2nd pairing RHD.
http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?aggregate=1&report=skaterpoints&reportType=season&seasonFrom=20172018&seasonTo=20182019&gameType=2&leftyOrRighty=R&position=D&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=evPoints,points
Unblocked shot attempt percentage over the last two years (min 100 games played) with the score close, Petry is 13th and Jensen is 28th (both top pair, but still the advantage to Petry).
http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?aggregate=1&report=skaterpercentages&reportType=season&seasonFrom=20172018&seasonTo=20182019&gameType=2&leftyOrRighty=R&position=D&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,100&sort=unblockedShotAttemptsPctgClose
Hits and blocks, the edge goes even further to Petry.
Short handed time on ice, Petry is 16th and Jensen is 19th. They're both below average 1st pairing guys, there.
http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?aggregate=1&report=skaterpenaltykill&reportType=season&seasonFrom=20172018&seasonTo=20182019&gameType=2&leftyOrRighty=R&position=D&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,100&sort=shTimeOnIce
Jensen is three years younger. Hockey players typically play their best in their 20s. Jensen is signed for four years, and the Habs' window to contend opens in about two or three years. Jensen is more valuable to Montreal than Petry, due to term, even though Petry is a better hockey player right now, and more valuable to Washington right now. When Kotkaniemi, Poehling, and Domi are all on big contracts in a few years, Jensen's cap hit to be a weak 1st/2nd pairing RHD would be very valuable. He's not as good as Petry, but he can eat the same minutes almost as well, at half the cap hit in the years that matter.
edit: Of course, I don't know much about this new ixg/60 stuff, but Jensen's currently about a hundred spots ahead of Petry on that. Is that stuff any good, ixg?
http://naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20192020&thruseason=20192020&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=w1&stdoi=std&rate=r&team=ALL&pos=D&loc=B&toi=0&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL
Seems too new to put too much weight into, but let's call them even.