The Monreal Canadiens have come to terms on a deal with veteran forward Corey Perry. His new deal is worth $750,000 for the 2020-21 season.
The Canadiens announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Corey Perry on a one-year contract. The deal has a value of $750,000.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/owqtARgQtj
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 28, 2020
Corey Perry Signs With Montreal
Perry’s new contract comes off of a season in which the veteran forward scored five goals and added 16 assists for 21 points in 57 games. The 2019-20 campaign was Perry’s first as a member of the Dallas Stars after 14 seasons with the Anaheim Ducks. This was also Perry’s first season in a bottom-six role after a career spent as a primary scoring option. The Ontario native scored 372 goals and added 404 assists for 776 points in 988 games as a Duck. Perry also captured the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player during the 2010-11 season.
These years of production are far behind Perry, however. Perry hasn’t garnered an all-star vote in the last four seasons, nor has he scored more than 20 goals in a season during that time. It will be interesting to see if Perry is simply done as a scoring threat.
Moving Forward
Much of Perry’s decline comes down to some pretty serious injury issues. A bad knee, in particular, has hounded him over the last several years. Any future success hinges on Perry maintaining some level of health. With a clean bill of health, Perry has proved to still have some value with the Stars. That value does not come in the form of scoring, however. These days, Perry is much more adept at playing a physical role. This role has garnered a significant amount of hatred from opposing players and fans alike.
Due to the loss of his scoring acumen, Perry is not a player you want to depend on anymore. Once a team gets to the playoffs, however, Perry can still supply that grit (which sometimes borders on skirting the rules and fair play) that is important in the playoffs. Time will tell if the once-great veteran forward can maintain his health an recapture some of what made him such a special player in Anaheim.
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