Corey Perry is back for another season with the Edmonton Oilers, re-signed to a one-year deal last summer that could see him cash in up to $1.4 million if he hits his bonuses in the 2024-25 campaign.
His new deal that was signed so early this offseason raised some questions initially. Why the rush to lock him up when guys like Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway still needed new deals? And with the Oilers’ cap crunch, why $1.4 million a season (if he hits his bonuses), when a league-minimum deal seems more appropriate, as the fellas pointed out on ‘Oilersnation Everyday‘?
Still, he’s a future Hall of Famer, and despite not quite hitting that extra gear last playoffs that Oilers fans were hoping for, overall, he still had some great moments wearing the orange and blue last season. The 39-year-old brings intangibles to the table that the Oilers need and with that in mind, let’s explore what a successful season might look like for Perry in 2024-25.

Perry Playing in 60 Games or More

Perry played 54 games last season, missing two months after being released by the Chicago Blackhawks and signing with the Oilers in January. It’s worth noting, though, that he played a full 82 games in each of the two prior seasons. However, at 39 years old, an intriguing prop bet gambling sites should offer is an over/under on how many games Perry suits up for the Oilers this season.
For comparison, let’s look at two 39-year-old players from last season. Joe Pavelski, who recently retired, played all 82 regular-season games and was still highly productive, tallying 67 points and likely could have continued playing this season. Meanwhile, Jeff Carter, also recently retired, played in 72 games, recording 15 points, meaning those once-star players played a good a good chunk last season.
Based on those comparisons, it’s clear Perry has the potential to play close to a full season. Still, one factor that could limit his games is the Oilers possibly prioritizing speed in their bottom six, opting for a quicker player over the grizzled vet. Given that, a conservative estimate of Perry playing a minimum of 60 games would be considered a success.

Continue Being a Leader on the Oilers

In his short stint with the Oilers, Perry has already made an impact as a leader—whether by standing up for his teammates or speaking up when it counts. Over 38 regular season games played with the Oilers last season, he dropped the gloves four times, which included a tussle with a 6-foot-7 behemoth in Logan Stanley of the Winnipeg Jets last March. While many of those incidents may have been more of a dustup than a full-blown brawl, his willingness to drop the gloves to change the momentum or stand up for a teammate is admirable from the four-time All-Star. 
We got a taste of that already this preseason in the game against the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 30. When Pius Suter got a little too close to Connor McDavid, it was the 39-year-old Perry who stepped up, getting into a scuffle with the Canucks forward—who’s now reportedly day-to-day with an upper-body injury. That said, Perry said in the post-game interview about the incident, “He’s our captain, our star and a star in this league and I didn’t appreciate what was going on.”
The former Hart Trophy winner’s game this season won’t only be about how much of his MVP-calibre skills are left, but his leadership will be just as crucial in the Oilers’ cup-contending season. Edmonton lost some toughness with Vincent Desharnais gone, and with Evander Kane expected to miss some time. That said, there will be a greater emphasis on team toughness, and that little skirmish with Suter is Perry putting people on notice early in a ‘We’re not taking anyone’s crap’ sort of way, especially with the Canucks and Oilers set to clash in some heated battles this season.
Speaking of Kane— last season when he turned a puck over against the Calgary Flames, Perry let him know about it on the bench in a heated moment. Nothing major, just a leader stressing accountability with a ‘brothers fight’ mentality, saying about the incident, “That’s what makes a team work, that’s how you win. You hold everyone accountable, you push everybody’s buttons, you do whatever you have to do to get the best out of everybody.”
Additionally, the grizzled vet may be playing a decent amount of time with the younger Vasily Podkolzin this season. The Russian forward has shown a bit of edge to his game, playing a physical style, like in the preseason opener against the Jets, where he delivered a heavy hit behind his net that sparked an odd-man rush and set up the OT winner. For a young guy like Podkolzin, still finding his way in the NHL, there’s no better mentor than Perry to show how to mix skill, physicality and a bit of annoyance on the ice. Overall, in an attempt to justify Perry’s non-league-minimum salary, it may appear that the club is paying a premium for his leadership qualities, and he needs to sustain that role throughout the season.

12-Goal Campaign for the Oilers

Perry is a former Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy winner, and while his boots have slowed at this stage of his career, flashes of his old 50-goal-scoring hands remain—like when he pulled off a nifty deke and scored on Canucks’ goalie Kevin Lankinen on Sept. 30th.
The Peterborough, ON native produced 22 points last season, split between the Blackhawks and the Oilers, with 13 of those points coming while wearing the orange and blue. Additionally, he scored six goals at 5v5 and two on the power play for the Oilers, while averaging 1:09 of PP time per game.
Heading into this season, it’s reasonable to expect Perry will get a similar amount of PP minutes, as the Oilers will likely continue to use him as a net-front presence on the second unit. With the addition of proven scoring threats like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, the team may also be more inclined to give the second unit more minutes when the first unit isn’t clicking.
However, taking into account the possibility that Perry may only play between 55-60 games—while this may not be the spiciest take—if he manages to score around 12 goals, similar to last season, it should be seen as a success for him, which is pretty solid production from a bottom six player.
Still, the playoffs are where Perry must truly shine and elevate his game—something that eluded him for much of last postseason. Yet, all in all, completing a successful regular season means bringing the Stanley Cup home to the City of Champions. With that in mind, what’s your prediction for the number of games he’ll play this season?

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