Corey Perry signed a one-year contract and will be on the ice with the Edmonton Oilers this morning. He produced four goals and nine points in 16 games with Chicago earlier this season before the Blackhawks terminated his contract.
The Hawks terminated his contract on November 29th and released this statement:
“After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation both of the terms of his Standard Player’s Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments. As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately.”
Perry made this post the following day, admitting he erred and he would be seeking help with mental health and substance abuse officials:
My understanding is that Perry did nothing illegal, however, he said and/or did some inappropriate things while intoxicated. He will discuss them, though I’m not sure in how much detail, after practice today, and then be given a second chance to repair his image.
He can be agitating on the ice, but prior to the Blackhawks terminating his contract, this was the first off-ice incident we’ve heard about regarding Perry during his 19-year NHL career.
Perry was never deemed unable to play. He did meet with Gary Bettman a few weeks ago, and it was Perry who initiated that meeting. He was ready to return to the NHL, but it’s important to point out he didn’t get reinstated because he was never actually barred from playing.
Many teams, including the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the New York Rangers (among others) were interested in Perry, but he chose Edmonton. The Oilers have won 13 games in a row and are 21-3 in their last 24. It isn’t difficult to figure out why he opted to sign with Edmonton. He feels they have a good chance to go deep in the playoffs.
He brings loads of experience and a long resume of success.
He is 84th all-time in regular season games played with 1,273, is 89th in goals with 421 and 127th in points at 892. He ranks much higher in playoff stats. He is 22nd with 196 GP, is tied for 49th in goals with 53 and ranks 59th in points with 124.
He won a Stanley Cup in 2007 and lost in the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 with Dallas, 2021 with Montreal and 2022 with Tampa Bay. He played the most playoff games in the NHL during those three seasons. He is the only player on the Oilers roster with a Cup. The 1989 Calgary Flames were the last team to win the Cup without a previous Cup winner on the roster. Having a veteran in the room with Cup experience to voice concerns or calm players down has proven to be beneficial. Perry won’t be the leader on the ice, but his experience could be invaluable.
I don’t expect he will stand up regularly and speak. It is more about sharing his experiences at key times in a series. Connor McDavid spoke often about Duncan Keith speaking up at the right time and being able to put the heightened playoff pressure into a better perspective in 2022. Management is hoping Perry can bring that, but he also provides more skill on the roster than they had yesterday.
In the past 48 hours, the Oilers have added Dylan Holloway and Corey Perry in place of James Hamblin and Adam Erne. These two swaps cost them no assets, and a small increase in cap hit from Hamblin ($807.5K) to Holloway ($925K), while Perry and Erne have the same cap hit — although Perry does have some bonuses, which will count against the cap next year if he hits them.
Holloway is bigger and faster than Hamblin. In the first 12 games of the winning streak, the Oilers outscored opponents 2-1 with Hamblin on the ice, but they were outshot and out-chanced, and he had no points. On the season Hamblin’s GF-GA was 9-5, so he was much more a positive than a negative in actual goals, however, Holloway has a larger toolbox. The 22-year-old played very well in Calgary and picked up an assist on Sam Gagner’s game-winning goal.
In 23 games with the Oilers, Erne’s had a positive impact in games. The Oilers outscored teams 6-4 when he was on the ice and his xGF% and SCF% were above 50%. He produced 1-1-2, but not being outscored was the key. He could help out on another NHL roster, especially teams not in the playoffs, but Perry is a much more proven point producer. He also knows how to agitate the opposition and his competitiveness helps bring his team into games more often.
I view Holloway and Perry as upgrades over Hamblin and Erne. The goal is to improve your team and the Oilers are better today than they were on Friday. I don’t expect Perry to play tomorrow, but he might make his debut on Thursday.
SEASON | TEAM | W | L | OTL | T | STREAK |
2013-14 | LA | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 18 |
2010-11 | NJ | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
1998-99 | PHO (ARI) | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 17 |
2003-04 | CGY | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
2023-24 | WPG | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
2003-04 | MIN | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
1993-94 | BUF | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
1974-75 | PHI | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
1970-71 | NYR | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
2023-24 | EDM | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
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