EDMONTON — Corey Perry wearing a blue practice jersey with the Edmonton Oilers crest and the No. 90 on his helmet was truly an odd sight after years of him being a thorn in their side.<\/p>\n
As for what led to him becoming an Oiler? Well, that’s a whole other thing.<\/p>\n
In that vein, there was nothing bizarre about GM Ken Holland introducing Perry, 38, on Monday after signing him to a league-minimum, bonus-incentivized contract. This move fits his playbook on how to add to a team on the cusp.<\/p>\n
If there’s a distressed asset available, Holland proved yet again that he’ll be the first one in the pool as long as it makes sense for his roster.<\/p>\n
Perry becomes the third player with significant baggage to be welcomed by the Oilers in Holland’s five seasons at the helm following Evander Kane and Jake Virtanen.<\/p>\n
The latter came to training camp in 2022 on a professional tryout weeks after he was found not guilty on a sexual assault charge in the British Columbia Supreme Court but with a civil trial still looming. Virtanen ultimately didn’t earn a deal and was released from his tryout before the season began.<\/p>\n
Perry’s signing comes a week shy of the two-year mark that Kane joined the Oilers after his contract was terminated by the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n
Kane’s signing was ripe with controversy because he came to the Oilers with a list of indiscretions, court appearances and suspensions. He had recently been banned 21 games by the NHL for presenting a forged COVID vaccination card and then had his contract terminated for failure to report after the December holiday break.<\/p>\n
Kane’s agent Dan Milstein said immediately that there would be a grievance and the Sharks wound up settling their case with the winger in September 2022.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Perry, his $4 million contract for this season was terminated by Chicago on Nov. 29 because of what GM Kyle Davidson labelled a “workplace matter.”<\/p>\n
A team investigation determined Perry “engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player’s Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.”<\/p>\n
Beyond that, very little is known about what occurred that led to Chicago making its choice. As colleague Mark Lazerus wrote Sunday, there are former teammates of Perry’s in Chicago who still don’t know what occurred.<\/p>\n
Perry wouldn’t comment Monday on whether there will be a grievance of his contract termination by Chicago. The NHLPA has a week left to make that decision.<\/p>\n
Contracts in the NHL don’t get terminated on a whim and without cause — at least in the team’s view. It’s a high bar, as colleague Chris Johnston wrote earlier this month, and the list in recent memory is a short one — just five players including Kane.<\/p>\n
Perry didn’t provide much more clarity on the situation other than to say he’s taken responsibility for what happened and has worked on himself with the help of people in the mental health sector. He said he stood by his statement from Nov. 30.<\/p>\n
Holland said he was comfortable signing Perry after talking with him, Davidson, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, those in the Oilers organization like coach Kris Knoblauch and CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson and “people around Perry.” He was pleased with the steps Perry has taken in the last two months.<\/p>\n
That Perry also initiated a conversation with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman despite not needing clearance from the league to play again was also notable.<\/p>\n
But Holland said he doesn’t know every detail that led to Perry’s time with Chicago ending. That might be hard to ascertain. Not having all the answers and going ahead with the signing deserves at least some scrutiny, though.<\/p>\n
It certainly can’t go unsaid that Kane was great for the Oilers in the months after he arrived and scored 13 goals in 15 playoff games in 2022. That earned him a big contract extension, which he’s had trouble fulfilling — largely due to injuries. By all accounts, he’s been a solid teammate and an upstanding member of the community.<\/p>\n
Holland used the court ruling as his standard before inviting Virtanen to camp. Virtanen was only kicked to the curb when it was determined he couldn’t be of any value to the roster here.<\/p>\n
There are commonalities between the Kane and Perry signings and Perry could very well follow in Kane’s footsteps on and off the ice.<\/p>\n
But what’s dissimilar is the state of the Oilers when each player arrived.<\/p>\n
The Oilers were reeling when Kane was brought in. They’d gone 5-11-2 — with three straight wins — when Kane was introduced. Kane played five games under then-coach Dave Tippett before he was fired in favour of Jay Woodcroft. Kane provided an element the Oilers desperately needed, another scoring option and one with some jam.<\/p>\n
Now, after recovering from a terrible start that sparked another coaching change, the Oilers unequivocally look like a Stanley Cup contender. They’ve won 13 in a row — and counting — and have gone 23-6 under Knoblauch. They’re proving they’re an elite team by every stat and metric.<\/p>\n
But the drastic turnaround and recent winning never meant they were a finished product. They could use another goaltender and defenceman. They have holes up front, too. There’s lots to discuss at their pro scouting meetings, which take place Tuesday to Thursday in Edmonton.<\/p>\n
Signing Perry should be one thing off their to-do list. From a hockey perspective, there’s a lot to like about the fit. Holland has been trying to obtain Perry ever since the Anaheim Ducks bought him out in 2019.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been hot after Corey Perry the last few years,” Holland said. “He’s the type of player that every team wants on their team.”<\/p>\n
Perry, winner of the Hart and Rocket Richard trophies in 2011, remains a useful player even though he’s the oldest player on the Oilers roster; he had four goals and nine points in 16 games on a bad Chicago team. He has a wealth of experience — notably a Stanley Cup title, three more trips to the final and 196 postseason games — to a team trying to win now.<\/p>\n
“We’re adding a player that plays playoff hockey,” Holland said.<\/p>\n
“You don’t like playing against him, but you love to have him on your team,” said defenceman Brett Kulak, whose Montreal Canadiens went to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final with Perry on the roster. “That’s the case here.<\/p>\n
“He brings a whole new dynamic. We have a few guys with pretty good playoff experience, but he’s just in a category of his own in that sense.”<\/p>\n
The Oilers were looking for more size and skill in their bottom six. Perry has all that even if he’s not the fleetest of foot and turns 39 in May — possibly in the middle of an Oilers playoff run. He can be a top-six fill-in if there’s an injury or two or there’s some underperformance from a teammate. He’s an option as the net-front on the power play in the event Zach Hyman gets hurt.<\/p>\n
Throw in his physical and needling style of play — something several Oilers and their fans know all too well, especially from the 2017 Western Conference semifinal series — and he could be the perfect depth addition.<\/p>\n
“There’s been lots of battles with him on the other side. When new guys come in, a lot of the time and there’s a little hostility before they get in here,” veteran defenceman Darnell Nurse said, smiling. “It’s nice to play with him.”<\/p>\n
The acquisition price is right, too. All it cost the Oilers was Adam Erne, who was waived on Monday and will remain part of the organization with AHL Bakersfield if he clears.<\/p>\n
Perry can make as much as $325,000 in games-played bonuses, money that will impact next season’s salary cap. Him cashing in wouldn’t be insignificant — especially considering Connor Brown’s $3.225 million bonus. But at least it doesn’t affect management’s ability to add in any way before the March 8 trade deadline as it pertains to this season.<\/p>\n
Knoblauch will have to decide who comes out of the lineup to make room for Perry. The target debut for Perry is Saturday afternoon against the Nashville Predators, which will allow the winger to get almost a week’s worth of practice in with his new teammates. The Oilers start their bye week after that game and don’t return to action until Feb. 6 in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
It’s a good problem to have. The Oilers almost certainly just got better.<\/p>\n
The way in which they did it, though, was arguably problematic.<\/p>\n
But that’s proven to be the Oilers’ way of late. Optics come second to the pursuit of winning — whether you care about that or not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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