Trade Deadline Aftermath: Corey Perry Did a 180 Last-Minute on Kings

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry in a fight

We had heard in the days leading up to the trade deadline that pending unrestricted free agent Corey Perry wanted to stay in L.A. He did not want to be a trade deadline casualty and was willing and hoping to sign an extension for next season. The Kings seemed to be on board with that.

But then, seemingly out of the blue, Perry was traded at the 11th hour, just before the deadline hit last Friday, to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

So what happened?

According to insider David Pagnotta, there was a simple reason for the last-minute 180:

The Los Angeles Kings were close to signing Corey Perry to a one-year extension, but the last-minute opportunity to chase another Stanley Cup with the Lightning made the 40-year-old change his mind.

Perry had to waive his no-trade clause to consummate the trade, and he had no problem doing it. He has some unfinished business with the Bolts, as he was a member of the team's failed 2022 attempt to complete a Stanley Cup three-peat. They fell in the Finals in six games to the Colorado Avalanche. Perry did his part, including two assists in a Game 5 win to keep the team's hopes alive.

The 40-year-old has been on the losing side in five of the last six Stanley Cup Finals, and he's hoping to turn that streak around this season in a return to his familiar stomping grounds. He just couldn't pass up the chance when the possibility was raised just before the 3pm ET deadline last Friday.

Perry agreed to trade back to Tampa Bay because of 'unfinished business'

“To have that chance (to win),” he said of why he accepted the trade to reunite with Tampa Bay. “There’s unfinished business from when I left. It’s an exciting team and good to be a part of it.

“It’s exciting. It feels like home coming back into this room.”

It's obviously been a good fit so far, as he scored a goal in each of his first two games back with the Bolts, and already gotten into a scrap.

Perry has one Stanley Cup ring, from way back in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks, in his second season in the league.