Corey Perry is an intriguing, if somewhat controversial, unrestricted free agent who is reportedly drawing varying levels of interest from NHL teams.
The 38-year-old forward proved earlier this season that he can still play, when he had nine points (four goals, five assists) in 16 games with the Chicago Blackhawks. But he had his contract terminated by the Blackhawks in late November after an off-ice incident. And that’s the rub.
A path to signing with another team was cleared Wednesday when Perry met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. But how many NHL teams, and which ones, will have interest in signing Perry after the undisclosed incident in Chicago and his seeking help for alcohol issues?
Perry is a Stanley Cup champion, a former Hart Trophy winner as League MVP, and a veteran of 1,273 NHL games. Besides winning the Cup in 2007, he’s been to the Final three other times. And with 196 playoff games on his resume, teams will likely be intrigued enough to consider signing him.
Let’s examine five teams that could look into signing Corey Perry as a free agent.
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5 NHL teams that could sign free agent Corey Perry
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
Perry played two seasons before this one with the Tampa Bay Lightning, so a reunion is not out of the question. He has the respect of coach Jon Cooper and players who had been teammates with him so that it could be a soft landing spot after his troubles in Chicago.
The Lightning have struggled all season in his absence. They are one point out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, and Perry could provide a spark. And should they reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the tenacious Perry could play an important role as he did when he helped the Lightning reach the 2022 Cup Final.
Realistically, Perry won’t solve all the team’s problems, especially with goalie Andrei Vasilveskiy still trying to find his game. But he’d be a good fit with his gritty style and secondary scoring.
4. Nashville Predators
After all the headlines in Chicago, Perry could opt to sign where he can fly under the radar a bit. Although Nashville is a great hockey city, the media doesn’t hound the Predators like the press does in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, or New York, for example.
As another playoff bubble team, the Predators are lacking behind forward Filip Forsberg, defenseman Roman Josi, and goalie Juuse Saros. Even though the Predators signed former Conn Smythe Trophy winner and Stanley Cup champion Ryan O’Reilly this past offseason, they could use another grizzled veteran to help them battle for a postseason berth in the Western Conference.
3. Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers could be an intriguing option for Perry, in part because coach John Tortorella would love the sandpaper element Perry brings on the ice. The Flyers don’t want to mess up a surprisingly good thing, but you’d have to expect Perry to be on his best behavior if he gets another shot in the NHL.
Philly is in contention for one of the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division and currently holds the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. Outside of Tortorella, however, no one in the Flyers dressing room has won the Stanley Cup, so Perry’s pedigree as a champion could reap dividends throughout the lineup.
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2. Washington Capitals
At 38 years old, Alex Ovechkin is running out of time to win another championship and his supporting cast isn’t what it used to be. Adding a veteran like Perry gives the Washington Capitals a slight edge over the other contending teams in the East, serving as a spark plug the they have been lacking all season.
The Capitals are banged-up at the forward position and their depth is being taxed. Even though Perry wouldn’t solve all their problems, he’d be a solid middle-six addition and could be the move that snaps the Capitals out of their funk.
1. The Edmonton Oilers
After a slow start, the Edmonton Oilers are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They’ve got the high-end talent with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and are getting solid seasons from the likes of Zach Hyman, Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Adding Perry would give the Oilers another power forward along with Hyman and Kane, making them a bigger, harder team to play against in the postseason. Plus the knock on the Oilers has been an inability to get over the hump in the playoffs during the McDavid-Draisaitl years. Perry is a proven winner and big-game player, so there’s a good fit here.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the Oilers and Perry were linked, as there were rumors before his contract termination that he’d be a player they’d target ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Now that Perry is a free agent and will most likely sign a league-minimum contract, this may be the best time for the Oilers to swoop in and get a deal done.