The Edmonton Oilers made headlines earlier this week when they announced the signing of veteran winger Corey Perry to a one-year contract.
The Oilers are the best team in the NHL at the moment, and fans were eager to watch him contribute to the Oilers’ dynamic lineup on Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
But on Tuesday, the Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that the timeline is to have Perry play his first game with the Oilers on Saturday.
It will be Perry’s first NHL game since late November after he first got suspended, and subsequently had his contract terminated by the Chicago Blackhawks.
There has been a lot of speculation and mystery regarding Perry’s falling out with the Blackhawks and what really led to the organization terminating his contract.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan broke the news that Perry was involved in an ” alcohol-fueled” incident before a game on the road against Columbus.
Perry did not play in that game, as he was ”immediately pulled” from it once the Blackhawks were notified of what had happened.
But on Tuesday, former NHLer John Scott spoke about Corey Perry and the incident on his ’Dropping the Gloves’ podcast, bringing some clarity about what really happened.
According to Scott, Perry “made a mistake in Columbus one night, drank too much, and made a pass at a staff member who worked at NBC.”
”In Chicago, with the environment they live in now, if there’s any hint at anything like that, they just get rid of everything. If this was any other team, he’s still with them, and they just kind of have a little slap on the wrist, maybe a minor fine or suspension,” said Scott, who also praised the signing from Edmonton.
”This is a good signing for the Oilers. People are saying he only got 25 points last year. Nobody in Edmonton cares about what he does in the regular season, at all. He could sit out the whole regular season, but what you get from Corey Perry is a guy who produces in the playoffs.”
