Will Corey Perry get a second chance and are Oilers the team to do it?
The Edmonton Oilers are rolling with four straight wins, but they could still use some extra help. Will Corey Perry catch their eye?
Despite the win streak, the team is still second-last in the Pacific Division with 19 points and a 9-12-1 record. That is still six points back of the St. Louis Blues for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While Connor McDavid is back to his usual scoring pace, there is still a bit more to be desired from Edmonton’s bottom-six forwards.
Through the first 22 games, Warren Foegele leads the bottom six with just three goals and eight points. Ryan McLeod, Mattias Janmark, and Dylan Holloway have each only managed one goal so far this season and guys like Adam Erne and Connor Brown are still searching for their first.
There have been some good surprises recently, with James Hamblin and Sam Gagner being semi-productive additions to that group, but things are still not as consistent as you would like them to be.
Could the Oilers look to Perry to help remedy that, despite the obvious red flags?
The Chicago Blackhawks recently terminated the 38-year-old’s contract after an undisclosed incident within the team. Perry has since released a statement apologizing and saying that he would be seeking help with his struggles with alcohol, but what he did to warrant his contract being terminated is not known.
This is a hurdle that any team with interest in Perry will have to clear, and whether or not it’s a deal-breaker entirely depends on the situation and team. Clearly, this was the case for the Blackhawks, and it would not be a surprise if a few other NHL teams felt the same way.
The Oilers, however, do have a history of taking on players going through personal issues or struggles and offering an olive branch to both play for the team and aid in that player’s rehabilitation. Recent memory gives examples like Zack Kassian and Evander Kane as players who resurrected their careers in Edmonton after various personal struggles.
On the ice, there is also a fit. Before having his contract terminated, Perry was having a pretty decent season with nine points in 15 games. That type of production would have him first among the team’s bottom six. There is also a certain snarl to his game that would make the team harder, or at the very least more annoying, for opposing teams to play against.
Considering Perry’s situation, there is also a chance the contract he signs comes in cheaper than usual for a player like him. If the Oilers could get him signed to a contract under $1 million for the remainder of the year, they could potentially fit him onto the roster with a few moves.
It is a risky bet for the Oilers to bring in Perry, and this entire scenario could easily be rendered mute if the organization decides that Perry doesn’t warrant a second chance.
However, the fact that Edmonton has taken similar risks in the past and that there is an obvious on-ice need for a player like Perry, it might make more sense for the Oilers to do it than other NHL teams.