Corey Perry Signs Deal With Western Conference Contender

Corey Perry is returning to the NHL. Two months after having had his contract terminated by the Chicago Blackhawks for an off-ice incident, the veteran forward will be joining the Edmonton Oilers. 

Corey Perry is reportedly heading to Oil Country!@EdmontonOilers | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/9Kb4IfPjn8

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 21, 2024

It's apparently a one-year deal worth close to the minimum salary. 

If it is Edmonton, and it looks like it is, you could see him in their lineup as soon as this week.

Perry has been skating and training and can play his way back into game shape.#Oilers have a bye week break and after All-Star, they don’t play again until Feb. 6.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 21, 2024

As reported by Frank Seravalli, Perry has continued to skate and train since he's been out, so it shouldn't be long for him to get back up to game shape.  

Already on a red-hot run of 21-3 in their last 24 games, the Oilers are keeping the pedal to the metal, and now add a big boost and some serious grit to their bottom-six.

Perry was suddenly and shockingly dropped from the Blackhawks back in late November, and had his contract terminated for some kind of sordid off-ice incident that hasn't been officially revealed. A number of teams did their due diligence on the longtime veteran before the Oilers decided to pull the trigger.

Perry is an 18-year veteran with 1,273 games under his belt, recording 421 goals and 471 assists for 892 points. He's a former league MVP (2011), Stanley Cup winner (2007) and a recent three-time finalist.

Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports