Why the Corey Perry trade made sense for the Lightning
Corey Perry is back in Tampa Bay, baby.
Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline wasn’t overly busy. But the Los Angeles Kings couldn’t reach a new deal with Perry and instead moved him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second-round pick.
It’s familiar territory for Perry, who spent two seasons with the Lightning in 2021-22 and 2022-23, where he scored 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points in 163 regular-season games. He also scored eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 29 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Perry won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007, then made five more Stanley Cup Final appearances with the Stars in 2020, the Canadiens in 2021, the Lightning in 2022, then the Oilers in 2024 and 2025.
Could the Bolts return to the big dance with Perry? Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek and Matt Larkin broke the trade down:
Jeff Marek: “Matt, grade this trade.”
Matt Larkin: “For Tampa Bay, it’s an A-. If you’re superstitious, they have already booked themselves a ticket to the Stanley Cup final… So we know the trend with Corey Perry. But of course, you’re getting someone who even at 40 years old still brings a lot. He had 10 goals in 22 games in the playoffs last year. He’s going to give you a lift. He’s still going to be an agitator. He can still even help your second power-play unit.
What would you grade the Corey Perry trade? 🤔🤔 Presented by @gmccanada #TruckMonth
“And for LA, it’s an A-. I think this is a mature trade from Ken Holland. He was a buyer a few weeks ago, but things have just totally gone south since then. I mentioned already, they lost six of eight games. And then there’s Kevin Fiala’s injury. They fired Jim Hiller as head coach. I think you have to understand they may not have the horses. There’s a 70% chance we’re missing the playoffs. So you cash out Corey Perry because you couldn’t extend him. Mature move by Ken Holland.”