Edmonton Oilers analyst names biggest loss to roster this offseason
The Edmonton Oilers saw some fairly significant roster turnover this offseason, but none may be more impactful than the loss of veteran forward Corey Perry.
Perry signed with the Los Angeles Kings in free agency last week on a whopping1 year, $4M deal including bonuses. The Oilers simply couldn't match the offer, and Perry wasn't willing to take less to stay.
Oilers analyst names biggest loss to roster this offseason as Corey Perry
The Oilers lost some important contributors like Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, John Klingberg, and Derek Ryan, but none more important than Corey Perry according to analyst Jim Parsons.
Perry didn't just fill a roster spot-he helped define a playoff identity. At 40 years old, he scored 19 goals in the regular season and another 10 in the playoffs. He wasn't there to pad stats; he was there to tilt the ice, park in front of the net, deliver a timely hit, draw a penalty, and score a greasy goal when no one else could.
He was a presence on the ice, on the bench, in the room, and in the heads of opponents. That's hard to replace.
- Jim Parsons
He was a presence on the ice, on the bench, in the room, and in the heads of opponents. That's hard to replace.
- Jim Parsons
Everything here is completely factual. Perry was an incredible playoff performer for the Oilers, a skilled and adept vet who wasn't afraid of anything, and was a major leader in the locker room.
Perhaps even most importantly, Perry brought all these kinds of contributions on and off the ice on a value contract of only $1.15M. Simply put, there's no players who could replace what Perry brought for that cap hit.
Hopefully Perry's runs to the Cup Finals will end this season at least, and Oilers will be able to replicate their past playoff success without him.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 5|725 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers analyst names biggest loss to roster this offseason Do you think the Oilers will still have playoff success without Perry? | ||
| Yes | 596 | 82.2 % |
| No | 129 | 17.8 % |
| List of polls | ||