By Sean Gentille, Eric Stephens and Daniel Nugent-Bowman
Corey Perry, who recently turned 40 but still could be a reliable source of production and physicality on a third or fourth line, signed a one-year deal contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. With bonuses, the deal could be worth $4 million.
Perry was a longtime nemesis of the Kings when he played for the rival Anaheim Ducks from 2005-19.
Perry scored 19 goals for the Edmonton Oilers in 2024-25, his 20th season in the NHL, and added 10 more in the playoffs. He also played in his fifth Stanley Cup Final in six seasons, though he was part of the losing side all six years.
Perry peaked individually with the Ducks, scoring 50 goals and winning the Hart Trophy in 2010-11. He scored 27 goals or more in eight of his 14 seasons with Anaheim before entering the journeyman phase of his career. Perry has now played for six teams since 2019.
Edmonton signed Perry in January 2024 after the Blackhawks waived him for what they called an “unacceptable” incident involving a team employee. Perry apologized for what he called “inappropriate and wrong” behavior and said he sought treatment for substance abuse.
He went on to give the Oilers quality minutes over consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final, but their salary-cap situation complicated his return. Perry made $1.15 million in base salary last season and hit all his $250,000 in bonuses, which will go against Edmonton’s 2025-26 cap number.
Where does Perry fit on the Kings?
As far as intangibles, Perry is the kind of player the Kings need when it comes to being a respected veteran presence in the dressing room and a nuisance for opposing goaltenders. Even in an advanced age, he will go the net, stay at the net and be an accidentally-on-purpose annoyance to netminders by making them uncomfortable with the bumps and occasional falls on top of them.
The thing is, Perry still has his hands, and that was proven last season with Edmonton. His 19 goals were the most since 2021-22 with Tampa Bay. He also played 81 games with the Oilers and then was a force for them in the playoffs, scoring 10 times in 22 contests. The Kings don’t have enough irritants on their roster and they know — particularly general manager Ken Holland, who brought Perry to Edmonton — that he is a pest of the highest order.
But where will he play? Adrian Kempe is on the top line. Warren Foegele probably fits best on a checking third line that can chip in secondary offense. At present, Alex Laferriere (who needs to be re-signed) is their second-line right wing. Perry is at the stage where he won’t mind getting minutes on an upgraded fourth line if he has a presence at the net front on the power play. And he showed with the Oilers that he can still play up in the lineup, and play next to superstar-level talent.
The Kings watched Mitch Marner head to the rival Vegas Golden Knights. They’re adding a different type of player up front. Perry has chased a second Stanley Cup championship with multiple teams since his superstar days in Anaheim. He’ll push a Kings club that needs more edge to get out of the first round and he adds some sorely needed spice to the Freeway Faceoff in Southern California.
What it means for the Oilers
Bringing back Perry after last season looked a gamble for the Oilers. He’d been scratched six times during the 2024 playoffs, and it seemed like age was catching up to him.
But Perry wound up being one of the few Oilers who met or exceeded expectations during the regular season as the team underachieved for various stretches. He scored 19 goals in 81 games. His playoff run was just as good, if not better.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid gushed about having Perry on the roster, especially his smarts and gamesmanship. Though the Oilers wanted him back, bonuses were believed to be a sticking point. They’re now looking for younger middle-six wingers to fill or improve the void left by Perry.
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
