Corey Perry He signed a one-year, $4 million contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, a day after he was acquired in a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 38-year-old forward has scored 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 81 regular season games with the Lightning this season, his 18th in the NHL. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in six Stanley Cup games.
He would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Perry could bring a veteran presence to a Chicago team that likely won’t re-sign the center. Jonathan Toews And I already traded far ahead Patrick Kane.
“I’ve been in the league for some time, I know what it takes to win, I know how to be a great pro and then he also has some background and some history with our head coach, having Luke (Richardson) with at Montreal (Canadiens), see how he worked,” Davidson said. With some of their young players and he appreciated that, he saw a huge benefit in what Curry did, so we’ll try to get some of that advantage as well.”
Berry was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round (No. 28) of the 2003 NHL draft, has 883 points (417 goals and 466 assists) in 1,257 regular season games for the Lightning, Canadiens, Dallas Stars and Ducks, and 124 points (53 goals, 71 assists) in 196 playoff games.
Perry won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007 and was voted the NHL’s Most Valuable Player by the Hart Trophy for the 2010-11 season, when he led the league with 50 goals and was third with 98 points.
Berry is a tough player and not exactly a fan favorite in Chicago, but Davidson said he hopes he can win over the crowd and also help forward Conor Bedard, who has been picked. With choice #1 in the 2023 NHL Upper Floor Draft on Wednesday.
“There’s probably a guy out there that you hate playing against, that you love to have on your team. That’s how we hope it ends.”
As for protecting Bédard, Davidson said, “I think there’s a potential side benefit. The main motivator, more than that, won’t be, again, the mentorship and the veteran presence we want to bring in.”
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Perry is the latest of several acquisitions by Chicago, which has acquired futures Taylor Hall And Nick Foligno In a trade with the Boston Bruins for the Defenders Alec Regula And Ian Mitchell on monday.
Earlier on Thursday, the Blackhawks took the lead Josh Bailey and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the New York Islanders for future considerations. Davidson said Bailey was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of the acquisition. There was one year left on a six-year contract, which he signed with the Islanders on February 23, 2018.
“I have the greatest respect for Josh’s career and being a vet in this league,” said Davidson. “I haven’t necessarily seen a clear path to a role for us, so it’s best to give him the opportunity to find that somewhere other than to have some kind of in-and-out and not have a real role with us.”
The 33-year-old striker has scored 25 points (eight goals and 17 assists) in 64 games this season. He did not appear in the Islanders’ six-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Eastern Conference.
Bailey was selected with the #9 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, has 580 points (184 goals, 396 assists) in 1,057 NHL games, all with New York, and 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) in 71 playoff games .