After rumours about the acquisition swirled around the hockey world this weekend, the Edmonton Oilers announced Monday morning that they had signed veteran forward Corey Perry.
The team posted on social media just after 9:30 a.m. local time that Perry had been signed to a one-year contract with an “average annual value of $775,000 plus performance bonuses.”
At a news conference on Monday, Oilers general manager Ken Holland said the deal was finalized over the weekend and that he only planned to announce it Monday, but joked that “it’s getting harder and harder to keep things secret in the world that we live in.”
“(I’ve been) after Corey the last few years,” Holland said.
“I think he’s type of player that every team wants on their team.”
Shortly after the signing was announced, Perry was seen practising with his new Oilers teammates at Rogers Place on Monday.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said that he wanted Perry to get practice time with his new teammates and that there was no definite timeline for when the team’s new forward would play a game, but that it could come as early as Saturday.
Holland and Perry told reporters that a number of teams had tried to sign Perry in recent weeks.
When asked why he chose the Oilers, Perry joked about his family’s influence.
“When you have a six-year-old kid and you have Connor McDavid on the team, you kind of follow the Edmonton Oilers a little bit,” he said with a laugh, adding that he spoke to McDavid who told him great things about the Oilers players. “This team’s going in the right direction… The vision they have.
“They want to win a Stanley Cup here… There’s a team in here that wants to win … There’s nothing better than winning … That’s why you play this game.”
Perry became a free agent after the Chicago Blackhawks, the club he had signed a one-year contract with in the offseason, terminated his contract in the fall.
In a statement issued by the Blackhawks in late November, the club said it planned to terminate his contract following an internal investigation which it said “determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.”
The Blackhawks never provided details about what Perry allegedly did, but told reporters that the situation involved an “individual personnel matter” and could not disclose further details.
But Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson did say “this does not involve any player or their families, and anyone that suggests otherwise is wildly inaccurate and it’s frankly disgusting.”
In late November, Perry issued a statement about the Blackhawks’ investigation in which he said he wanted to “sincerely apologize to the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, including ownership, management, coaches, trainers, employees, and my teammates.
“I would also like to apologize to my fans, and my family,” his statement read in part. “I am embarrassed and I have let you all down.
“As a result of my actions, there has been speculation and rumours. I am sickened by the impact this has had on others, and I want to make it clear that in no way did this situation involve any of my teammates or their families. Most importantly, I want to directly apologize to those who have been negatively affected and I am sorry for the additional impact to others it has created. My behaviour was inappropriate and wrong.”
Perry, who said at the time he was seeking help related to alcohol use, also never provided details about what alleged actions led to the investigation.
When asked Monday for more details about what led to the contract termination, Perry declined to answer. He also declined to answer when asked if he was considering filing an appeal over the contract’s termination.
“Over the last two months, I really had a chance to reflect and get the help and to take full responsibility for what happened in Chicago and try to better myself,” Perry said Monday. “Those are the things that I’ve been working on with people in the mental health field.
“I have to thank my family, my friends, all the support I’ve gotten — the support from my counsellors … From where I was two months ago to where I am today, it’s made a world of difference.”
Perry described the uncertainty he felt when his contract was terminated and just took things “day by day.”
“This whole situation is not easy, but if you do have a problem, get help,” he said. “When I get up in the morning, every day now … I can look myself in the mirror and be happy with myself and where I’m going.”
Holland said at some point after Perry’s contract was terminated, he reached out to the player’s agent “to find out what was going on.”
“And over the course of the last few weeks, I’ve done due diligence to get to this point,” he said, noting he has met with NHL officials, spoken with the Blackhawks general manager and others about Perry’s situation. He said he also spoke at length with Oilers personnel about signing the player.
“(He has taken steps) to make himself a better person,” Holland said, noting that Perry met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently to speak about what led to the contract termination. “We felt that this was an opportunity to add a player that can make us better on and off the ice. He’s a great leader.
“Come playoff time, you think about blue-paint goals and greasy goals, and that’s what Corey stands for. ”
The Oilers said Perry will wear number 90.
Perry, who hails from Ontario, has a reputation as a tough competitor. While the 38-year-old player is past his prime in terms of scoring goals, he scored more goals than any other NHL player in the 2010-11 regular season and captured the Hart Trophy that year, awarded annually to the player judged to be the most valuable member of his team.
Perry has played in a staggering 1,273 regular season NHL games in his career, scoring 421 goals while also being credited with 471 assists and 1,392 penalty minutes.
He won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and in his career has played 196 playoff games, accumulating 53 goals and 71 assists for 124 points.
Perry has also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars.
News of Perry’s signing came as the Oilers continue a historic winning streak.
After winning 3-1 over the Flames in Calgary on Saturday night, the Oilers have now won 13 games in a row, a record among teams playing in Canadian cities.
The Oilers have been on a remarkable mission to turn their season around in recent weeks. In November, the club fired head coach Jay Woodcroft after an ugly start to the 2023-24 season and replaced him with Knoblauch.
The Oilers have won 23 of 29 games since the coaching change.
When asked about making lineup changes to the team when it is in the middle of a winning streak, Knoblauch noted that the team has already done that during its current run.
“We’re not blowing things up,” he told reporters. “We’re not trying to make sudden changes or big changes.
“I think with Corey he makes our team a little bit better. Unfortunately, we have guys playing well and somebody’s going to have to take a reduced role and somebody’s not going to be able to play. But throughout this streak, it’s not like it’s the first change we’ve made.”
Knoblauch was asked about Perry’s competitive and physical playing style and if that would make it hard to introduce him to the Oilers’ dressing room.
“I know there’s been plenty of players that I’ve coached against that I absolutely hated,” he said. “But I’ve also said, ‘Oh man, I wish he was on my team,’ and I think our players have a lot of respect for him because of the way he plays.”
Knoblauch said he trusts Holland’s judgment and does not believe Perry joining the Oilers after having his contract terminated by the Blackhawks will be a distraction.
“With our team being as strong as it is, the amount of leaders that we have … it’s not a distraction,” he said. “(He) feels that he can add something to our team … I think he’ll make our team better in the short term, but definitely in the long term in the playoffs, where it’s so hard to score goals.
“He adds that element of scoring goals and also the element of just being hard to play against — giving our team a little more personality … and then also the leadership.”
Perry said he is excited to be able to don an Oilers uniform.
“This is a passionate fanbase,” he said. “(It’s) an exciting time for the Oilers organization.
“You look around that room, you’ve got some pretty tremendous players … Thank you to the Oilers organization.”
–With files from Michelle Butterfield, Global News