Although veteran player Corey Perry had said he wanted to keep playing with the Montreal Canadiens, it was announced earlier today that he signed a two-year $1 million AAV deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 36-year-old wanted a two-year contract, and from the looks of it, the Canadiens weren’t willing to give that to him. He’s heading towards possibly the last few years of his career and wants some stability, which is completely understandable.
Perry left money on the table elsewhere. Getting that second year was important, he wanted a place to call home, and he wanted it to be on a team with a chance to win.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 29, 2021
As soon as the window had closed to re-sign with a team before becoming a UFA, I had predicted that he would be leaving the Canadiens. If not, why would he have gone to the market?
Because the Canadiens weren’t willing to give him what he wanted and he knew he could get it elsewhere.
The Ontario-native had a great season in Montreal, and showed that he still is a great player despite age. He tallied nine goals and 21 points in 49 regular-season games, as well as four goals and 10 points in 22 playoff games.
His veteran experience and leadership on and off the ice are also important to consider and something a team can never have too much of, only making him more valuable.
He will be a huge new asset for the Lightning, and will be a nightmare to play against, as always. He’s a true warrior and there is no doubt it will be an emotional game for him when he will have to play in Montreal against his former team. Although he only played here for a year, it was obvious he had become very close to the team, the young guys just like the other veterans.
It definitely is a loss for this Canadiens team full of young players who learned a lot from him, but there is no lack in leadership as long as Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry, and more, stay with the team.
Everyone will always remember him coming back to the bench with a bloodied face and stitches to celebrate a win with his teammates. That’s who Corey Perry is: a veteran warrior with so much love for the game and his teammates, and there’s no doubt that’s exactly what we will see from him in Tampa.
However, all the new Canadiens’ acquisitions are here to make sure there is no hole in the lineup, but the centre situation remains uncertain. There could be a trade coming soon to address that, but another concern is also the fact that the Canadiens still have to re-sign Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Artturi Lehkonen with only $973,630 of cap space available.
Some more changes are yet to come, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if either Paul Byron or Jonathan Drouin were included in a trade for an experienced centre.