The Edmonton Oilers have made headlines for numerous reasons this season, as it’s been a roller-coaster campaign for them until this point. They started the season with a 3-9-1 record before they chose to fire former head coach Jay Woodcroft, as well as former assistant coach Dave Manson, and replaced them with Kris Knoblauch and Paul Coffey. On top of the Oilers also choosing to send down Jack Campbell to the American Hockey League (AHL) and calling up Calvin Pickard, fans were hoping they would add some grit to their lineup as a way to turn their season around. But the Oilers weren’t ready to make any massive trades to do that just yet.
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Fast forward to the end of January, and the Oilers have completely turned their season around. They are riding a 16-game winning streak into All-Star Weekend and find themselves in a playoff spot, with the record for the longest winning streak in NHL history within reach for them when they return from break. The coaching change has been a massive help to the Oilers, and their defensive play has improved drastically. Their offensive production has also picked up in a big way. With the Oilers looking to go all-in now that they’ve turned their campaign around, they have been looking for ways to bolster their roster.
After his incident with the Chicago Blackhawks led to contract termination and hitting free agency, Corey Perry chose to sign a one-year contract with the Oilers and will join them for the second half of the season in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup. His style of play is exactly what the Oilers have been needing since the beginning of the season, and the addition of Perry means the team no longer needs to look to add grit to their lineup, as that’s what he will bring in the bottom six for the rest of the campaign.
Perry’s Career To This Point
Perry is a 38-year-old right-shot forward from New Liskeard, Ontario, currently playing for the Oilers after his recent signing. He stands 6-foot-3, 207 pounds and was drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, now the Anaheim Ducks, in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft at 28th overall after a strong offensive showing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the London Knights. During his draft year, he scored 25 goals and added 53 assists for 78 points through 67 games. Through four seasons in the OHL, he scored 140 goals and added 240 assists for 380 points through 253 games, which comes to a 1.50 points-per-game average.
Perry’s rookie campaign was the 2005-06 season, where he played 56 games, scoring 13 goals and adding 12 assists for 25 points. He also spent time in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Portland Pirates, where he scored 16 goals and added 18 assists for 34 points through 19 games. Perry made the Ducks the following season and played his first full NHL campaign, playing 82 games, scoring 17 goals and adding 27 assists for 44 points. He kept his spot in the NHL from then on and has built a fantastic career since then.
Over parts of 19 seasons in the NHL, Perry has spent time with the Ducks, Oilers, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, and Blackhawks. Throughout his career, he has played 1,274 games, scoring 421 goals and adding 471 assists for 892 points, which comes out to a 0.70 points-per-game average. This season, between the Blackhawks and Oilers, he has scored four goals and added five assists for nine points through 17 games.
With the Lightning, Perry was able to continue playing in a power forward role but was also able to add a veteran scoring role to his arsenal. He did the same thing with the Blackhawks before they released him, and he was one of the few bright spots on their team this season. If he can be a scoring veteran who plays the same gritty game that he’s grown popular throughout the NHL for playing, the Oilers will have a gem on their hands.
Perry’s reputation as a player is a gritty power forward who has an offensive side and is a proven playoff performer. He is someone the Oilers will be able to utilize anywhere in their lineup, and he is someone who can set the tone with his physical play. With the signing of Perry, the Oilers will likely stay away from acquiring bottom six forwards at this year’s trade deadline.
Which ”Gritty Players” May Have Been Available?
If the Oilers couldn’t bring in Perry, they would likely have looked elsewhere for a gritty addition to their bottom-six forward group. A few players from around the league may have been available, but they likely wouldn’t have provided as much as Perry could to a contending team. Patrick Maroon, Ryan Reaves, and Phil Kessel may have been options the Oilers looked at bringing in with a similar style to Perry.
Kessel is a free agent who is still looking for a team to play for this season, but likely won’t get a new contract after winning a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. Maroon currently plays for the Minnesota Wild, but with their team struggling and Maroon likely looking to finish his career with another run at a Stanley Cup, the Oilers could have been a good fit. Reaves doesn’t have the best contract with the Maple Leafs, nor has he been playing well since signing a three-year contract this summer, but he could have been someone the Oilers looked at bringing in.
The Oilers may be buyers heading into the 2024 Trade Deadline, but they have different goals after signing Perry. They will likely be looking to bring in a depth defenceman and potentially a goaltending upgrade on Pickard. But they don’t need to rush any trades for any of their holes as they look to ride the momentum of their current winning streak with elite play that shows no signs of slowing down.
