Edmonton Oilers did significant investigation into Corey Perry

After having his contract terminated by the Blackhawks, plenty of rumours have circulated as to what incident caused the meltdown in Chicago. Whatever caused the termination has not been leaked to the public, but it was minor enough that the NHLPA has filed a grievance against the termination, and comissioner Gary Bettman has quickly approved Perry to return to another team.

More than that, the Oilers reportedly did an investigation of their own into the Perry incident, likely when Perry was first terminated and became available. According to TSN's Ryan Rishaug, the Oilers did their due diligence in looking into the Chicago incident and any other events in Perry's past that could cause problems in the future.

Rishaug went on to explain that the Oilers undertook this effort to dive into Perry's Chicago incident and past life in concert with the NHL and even the Blackhawks as well. The fact that the Oilers are committing to signing him proves that their informal investigation brought up nothing concerning, and Perry will be fine re-joining the NHL until he retires. Whatever the results were from the investigation, we'll likely never know.

On the ice, Perry will be an incredible fit with the Oilers. At 38 years old, Perry is still an effective offensive player with finishing ability that also brings toughness and a famous pest presence to the team. In 16 games with the Blackhawks this year, Perry scored 4 goals and 9 points. With his level of finishing ability, Perry may even get looks in the Oilers top-six, but his primary role on the team will likely be in the bottom two lines.


SOURCE: https://www.tsn.ca/video/oilers-did-quite-a-bit-of-due-diligence-before-signing-perry~2851263