Did anybody think that only four Edmonton Oiler players—Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins—would have more goals than Corey Perry 50 games into this season?
Like they say with grading NHL defencemen, less is often more. So Perry, who turns 40 in three and half months, playing the fewest minutes of any regular Oilers forward (11:29) has nine goals, all of them at even strength. With 32 games left on the Oilers schedule, Perry might score 15, if he stays healthy and keeps playing night after night.
C’mon now, who thought that Perry, the fourth oldest active player behind Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Suter and Brent Burns, would have more goals today than all but the big guns on the Oilers, while playing most of the time on the fourth line with a taste every now and then with 97 or 29, in game?
Many thought he was a one-and-done addition after his 38 games last season, but the Oilers upped him again in July for a cap hit of $1.15 million with an additional $250,000 in bonuses, individual and team-related—$150,000 of which he’s already achieved for playing at least 15 games.
And he’s given the Oilers a big bang for the buck.
On the Oilers, only Draisaitl has better goals per hour than Perry’s 1.08—eye-popping stuff. If Perry, who has played exactly 1,360 regular-season games (55th all-time) and 215 more in the playoffs (13th most) gets to 15 goals this season, that would be his second-highest goal total in the last seven years.
He had 19 in Tampa Bay in 2021-22.
Perry’s shooting percentage is 17 per cent (nine goals on 53 shots), maybe unsustainable for a guy with a career 12.8, but on a night like Monday against Seattle when he played the second fewest minutes (10:39 of the forwards) he scored on his only shot. And it was the game-winner.
‘I feel fresh’
A lot of guys Perry’s age get nights off because the coach feels a veteran needs a breather, but Perry, who will get Hall of Fame consideration (a Hart trophy, Cup win in Anaheim, Olympic gold medals, a 50-goal season, 922 points) when he finally says enough (or somebody else tells him) has only sat out one game, in Seattle, in early January.
“Do I look tired?” said Perry, with a broad smile.
“Like I told you guys last year, and you laughed, I would like to play five more years. You guys thought I was crazy but it’s who I am. I feel fresh and it’s just a matter of taking care of your body.”
Certainly, there are few places Perry would rather be than at the rink. Perry found a workplace he loved and, for him, hockey’s not a job. It’s almost a calling.
“This is what I’ve done my whole life,” said Perry, who has seamlessly gone from being a star to a role player when many NHLers can’t make the transition to moving back in the line-up from top six, on the power play, to getting 12 to 15 shifts a night. And while he’s not skating up and down the ice like, say, McDavid, he’s been clocked at 14 kilometres a game.
“What does 97 skate? 114 (km)” he chuckled.
“Me? I’m all over the place. but like I say I’m fresh.”
Perry definitely doesn’t feel he needs nights off in an 82-game season.
“I feel great. It’s a lot more work in the gym, even during the season, after games, every practice day. I’ve got a routine I’m on,” he said.
Did he do that in his prime?
“Yes and no. Probably less. It’s hard when you’re playing more,” said Perry, who averaged about 20 minutes a night in his heyday in Anaheim. “I’ve seen guys later in their career put the time in (off-ice). I’ve played with some good professionals (Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer) and they taught me the ropes. When you get older you have to put more time in.
“I’m definitely doing more skating. I’m starting earlier with power skating a couple of days a week. You also have a kid (son Griffin) and you’re up early. Life changes,” he said.
Fighting and scoring
While much has been made of Perry’s game-within-the-game smarts: like not dropping the gloves with Vancouver’s Teddy Blueger last week even though the Latvian fed him a few punches which kept Oilers on a power play, and casually picking Quinn Hughes out of the herd in a scrum and falling on the Canucks’ captain which had the Vancouver players howling.
“Felt like they had 12 guys coming after me on one shift. Part of the game,” said Perry, who also sashayed over to J.T. Miller at the end of the second period while Miller was talking to the zebra.
“Just, uh, asked what he had for dinner. All good,” winked Perry.
But Perry’s still got game with the puck on his stick, too.
The breakaway goal on Daccord in the second period Monday, when he took a 150-foot pass right on the tape from Darnell Nurse and beat the Seattle goalie for fun, was the game-winner. Perry skated in alone from the Kraken blueline, deftly shooting 5-hole when Daccord tried to poke-check him, thinking deke.
“Wasn’t skating that fast but my head’s up. He baited first…that’s what I like,” said Perry, of his 438th goal.
Clearly some older NHLers on teams play in fourth-line roles with their careers winding down, too, but they’re not producing like Perry, still.
What’s the difference between Perry and others?
“As you get older production goes down,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. “But Corey’s a smart hockey player. I’m not saying others (his age) aren’t but he’s been able to adjust. His style…he doesn’t rely on speed while others maybe do. It’s his hands, his skill. In the offensive zone, he’s still very dangerous.”
“It’s going to the net or his ability to dig out pucks.”
All evident. But are there subtle things that Perry does that get overlooked?
“Obviously his leadership. If the team’s going off the rails and taking shortcuts, he knows what to say. He calls out players. That’s very powerful. He’s an extension of the coaching staff,” said Knoblauch.
His work along the boards is exemplary, too.
“It’s breaking the puck out. The puck comes to a player on the half-wall and you’re getting pressured where a defenceman is pinching and you have to make a play. That happens regularly in hockey. Some players can’t handle the pressure. But that’s something Corey’s good at,” said Knoblauch.
Oilers winger Mattias Janmark has seen Perry up close in Dallas when the Stars got to the Cup final in 2020 and lost to Tampa, and here for the last two seasons.
“He’s won the scoring titles in this league (Maurice Richard trophy with 50 goals in 2010-2011) and he’s not the same (offensive) player anymore but he’s found a way the last few years, playing on really good teams, to have an impact. You saw that with the goal he scored against Seattle. You give him that scoring chance and he’s the same player as he was. That’s impressive,” said Janmark.
Janmark rolled his eyes when somebody asked if he’ll still be playing at 39. Probably not—not many guys are—but he looks at Perry getting older, and if not better, then still an excellent support player, and marvels at him
“I’m sure he can play longer with his skill-set,” he said.
This ‘n that: Evander Kane announced on his Instagram account that he’s started skating (abdominal surgery and knee surgery).
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