The Toronto Maple Leafs have shown interest in Corey Perry in the past, so now that he is available, they are once again rumoured to be interested.
Corey Perry's contract was terminated on November 30th by the Chicago Blackhawks for an off-ice incident involving Perry displaying inappropriate behavior. Like all players, he has been linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday, Perry has been given the green light to resume his NHL career.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fourth line would look better with Perry on it than it did with Ryan Reaves, as Perry still has the ability to score and produce points.
Should The Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Corey Perry?
Last season, Perry registered 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 81 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his brief stint with the Blackhawks, Perry recorded four goals and five assists for nine points in 16 games this season. Prior to getting hurt, Reaves had one goal in 21 games for the Leafs this season. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)
Although I'm not a big fan of Perry, if he can help the Leafs win games and make them harder to play against, I wouldn't hate it if Leafs general manager Brad Treliving decided to sign him.
Some fans will say he doesn't deserve to play with the Leafs after what he did to John Tavares in the 2021 NHL playoffs. However, any true hockey fan should know that Perry had very little time to react in the Tavares incident. Although his knee to the head of Tavares was an accident, Perry still paid his dues by fighting Nick Foligno afterward.
Whether you like Perry or not, his style of play could benefit the Leafs. Perry plays hard and is a pest to play against. He's one of those players that other players love having on their team but hate playing against him. There is not much downside to bringing in a veteran player who has won a Stanley Cup and been to the Stanley Cup finals on numerous occasions. Could Perry be the Leafs missing ingredient? We will soon find out if Treliving thinks so.
Depending on which player the Leafs send down to the AHL, Treliving could have $1.575 million available to sign Perry. Whether that's enough to get him signed remains to be seen. I guess it would depend on how much Perry wants to play for the Leafs. It's definitely an interesting story to follow for the start of 2024.