EDMONTON — After years of being a thorn in their side, seeing Corey Perry don a blue practice jersey with the Edmonton Oilers crest and the No. 90 on his helmet was a very strange sight.
And what made him an Oiler in the first place? That, though, is a different story.
Thus, when General Manager Ken Holland presented 38-year-old Perry on Monday following his signing to a contract with a league minimum and bonus incentives, it was not out of the ordinary. This move is right out of his playbook for bolstering a young team.
Holland demo
Perry becomes the third player with significant baggage to be welcomed by the Oilers in Holland’s five seasons at the helm following Evander Kane and Jake Virtanen.
The latter came to training camp in 2022 on a professional tryout weeks after he was found not guilty on a sexual assault charge in the British Columbia Supreme Court but with a civil trial still looming. Virtanen ultimately didn’t earn a deal and was released from his tryout before the season began.
Perry’s signing comes a week shy of the two-year mark that Kane joined the Oilers after his contract was terminated by the San Jose Sharks.
nstrated once more that, provided it makes sense for his roster, he will be the first to enter the pool if a distressed asset becomes available.
Due to Kane’s lengthy history of indiscretions, court appearances, and suspensions, the Oilers were wary of signing him. After he presented a fake COVID vaccination card, the NHL recently banned him from 21 games and terminated his contract for failing to report for duty following the December holiday break.
Dan Milstein, Kane’s agent, stated right away that a grievance would be filed, and the Sharks ultimately reached a settlement with the winger in September 2022.
