Former Hart Trophy winner plans to continue playing

Speaking with a beat writer of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chris Krenn, Tuesday morning, veteran forward Corey Perry stated that he aims at playing next season, which would be his 19th season in the NHL. 

When asked about his immediate future, Perry said, “I’ve still got more in me. I still want to play. We’ll see where it goes over the next few weeks and then take it from there.”

In 2003, Perry was selected by the Anaheim Ducks at 28th overall and became one of 17 players from the first round that year to make an appearance in at least one NHL All-Star Game. In his draft season, Perry played in the OHL for the historic London Knights team, scoring 25 goals and 53 assists in 67 games. Not joining the Ducks until the 2005-06 season, Perry finished his CHL career with 253 games played, scoring 140 goals and 240 assists.

As the former Mighty Ducks officially transitioned into the Anaheim Ducks during the 2006-07 season, Perry helped considerably in the Ducks’ path to the Stanley Cup Final. In 21 games played in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Perry scored six goals and nine assists as the Ducks won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

A few years later, Perry became one of the best players in the NHL, scoring 50 goals and 48 assists in the 2010-11 season, winning both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Maurice Richard Trophy. Because of his offensive explosion, the Ducks would reward Perry with an eight-year, $69 million contract extension through the 2020-21 season.

Unfortunately for both him and the Ducks, Perry only played six out of eight years of that contract, as he was bought out at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season. Throughout the next several years, Perry played on one-year contracts, suiting up for the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens in 2020 and 2021, respectively, helping both teams to the Stanley Cup Final.

Having lost the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years at the hands of the Lightning, Perry decided to join Tampa Bay, signing a two-year, $2 million contract before the 2021-22 season. In potentially his last season for the Lightning, Perry scored 13 goals and 15 assists but also held a rating of -28 while on the ice.

Perry has already entered the twilight years of his career, but he can still provide a bit of depth scoring for any team across the league. Being in the hunt for the Stanley Cup for seemingly the last four seasons, Perry will likely look to join a team that is firmly on the cusp of raising the trophy at the end of next season.