If Corey Perry’s career were a golf course, he’d be walking down the 18th fairway right about now.

It’s been a long, storied career for the 2003 draft’s 28th overall pick, winning about as much as one can throughout his playing career. His most recent stop has found himself in Edmonton, signing with the team as a free agent in January after having his previous contract with the Chicago Blackhawks terminated.

After appearing in 38 games in the regular season and 19 in the playoffs, the Oilers re-signed the veteran winger this summer to a one-year deal worth $1.15 million.

He tallied eight goals and 13 points, six and 11 of which came at 5v5. With him on the ice, the Oilers fared well, punching above league average in all of the key underlying metrics, with an even 100 PDO to boot. He’s not the big, scoring winger he once was, but Perry found a way to contribute during the regular season, with above-average scoring rates.

At this point in his career, Perry is not a special teams contributor, but what he brought to the team was something much more than just an ability to contribute on the ice: he’s a leader off of it. That’s a big reason the Oilers brought him to Edmonton in the first place and why they’re bringing him back for another tour, hoping he can win another Stanley Cup ring before his playing days are over.

During the Stanley Cup Finals this past year, Perry relished another chase.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This is why we play the game of hockey, it’s what we grow up playing for,” he told me. “It’s a tough trophy to win. It takes a lot of work, and sacrifice, and I think these guys are willing to do that.”

Perry is unlikely to be a major contributor on the ice for the Oilers, and in another year where the team hopes to go on a deep run playing over 100 games like last, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him play in around half of those games. His biggest issue right now is that his footspeed started to lack the longer the season went on, and with some young, new players coming into Edmonton in Matthew Savoie, Roby Jarventie and Vasily Podkolzin, all of whom can challenge for NHL minutes this year, Perry may find himself on the outside looking in of the lineup.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.