"Check your ego": Perry blunt about Oilers line changes ahead of playoffs
With each passing day, the Edmonton Oilers get closer to an eventual playoff run.
Edmonton has just 16 games left to play in the regular season and, while many players might still be chasing some personal accomplishments, it’s getting to that time of the year where the team has to start moving together as one unit.
As head coach Kris Knoblauch tinkers with the lineups and ice times get shifted for certain players, team morale has to stay positive, even if a player isn’t happy with changes.
Nobody knows this better than veteran Corey Perry, who won a Stanley Cup back in 2007 and has appeared in three more Stanley Cup Finals in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
“You check your ego at the door,” said Perry after this morning’s skate at Rogers Place. “It doesn’t matter where you play, how much you play, as long as the team is winning.”
"You check your ego at the door, it doesnāt matter where you play or how much you play as long as the team is winning."
Corey Perry speaks about the #Oilers lineup down the stretch as they face Buffalo tonight. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/w7X199sDRp
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 21, 2024
The 38-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Oilers earlier this season after having his previous contract terminated by the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s added some much-needed experience to the team’s bottom-six forward group and has been decent offensively, scoring five goals and eight points in 22 games.
Perry knows that once playoffs come around, every player in the lineup needs to be pulling on the same rope, no matter the difference in ice time.
“Any given night it’s going to be somebody different making a contribution and helping the team win,” Perry added. “Regular season, yeah, you want your time, your minutes, or whatever, but when playoffs come, push come to shove, it doesn’t matter who is out there as long as they are getting the job done.”
Perry is a shining example of this. He was once one of the most prolific scorers in the entire league, scoring 50 goals and winning the Hart Trophy in 2010-11. As he has gotten older and his scoring slowed down, he has been able to continue his career playing in a lesser role.
It’s the exact type of mentality the rest of the team will have to embrace if they want to have a long playoff run this spring.