According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Corey Perry is set to become a member of the Edmonton Oilers. Perry should add some added grit and playoff experience to the Edmonton Oilers bottom six.
Hearing a deal has been agreed to. I believe an announcement will be made later today. https://t.co/ubv9VqA6Pr
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 21, 2024
Earlier this month I wrote about how the Edmonton Oilers should take a gamble on Corey Perry. The Oilers' management team believes it was worth the risk to bring him in. There is no doubt that there have been issues with Perry's off-ice antics, but he will be a valuable asset on the ice.
Corey Perry was having a solid season before his contract was terminated by the Chicago Blackhawks. In the 16 games he played, he has 9 points. He was playing higher in the lineup in Chicago than he likely will in Edmonton, but he should improve the bottom six.
Questions Surrounding the Corey Perry Signing
The main questions with this signing are where will he go in the lineup and who is going to be the player that comes out of the lineup for Perry. I don't see him playing in the top 6, so he is going to end up in the bottom six. Which means that one of the current players has to come out.
I think it is either going to be Sam Gagner or Connor Brown. Gagner is an older player who is a perfect selection to be your 13th forward. Brown on the other hand is the most likely to come out as he just can't seem to put the puck in the net. Brown hasn't done anything wrong, he just hasn't done anything right.
Another question that needs to be answered is, what did Perry do to get his contract terminated? There are lots of rumours, but there has been no confirmed answer. I assume that the Oilers did some questioning themselves before they signed Perry. If that is the case this move is just like the Kane signing a few years ago.
The best part of bringing in Perry is the fact that it is like a trade deadline acquisition, but the Oilers didn't need to give anything up. I wouldn't think the cap hit on the deal will be very minimal as he is a reclamation project.
At the end of the day, this is a very low-risk move for the Oilers that could have a massive upside. If Perry adds more depth-scoring to an already good depth-scoring team, then it will be a success. That doesn't include all of his playoff experience he could add.