New details confirm Edmonton Oilers botched Corey Perry contract talks

Instead of signing Perry last offseason, the Oilers pivoted to younger players to sign Andrew Mangiapane and Trent Frederic. Both players have been a total failure, while Perry is still cooking at 40 years old with the Kings.

Halfway through Perry's contract with the Kings, it looks like it was a mistake for the Oilers not to step up and sign him.

In 35 games, Perry has scored 9 goals and 21 points - on pace to register 49 points over a full season. That's even more than he ever scored with the Oilers.

Perry has repeatable skills that still make him an effective NHLer even as he slows down in his 40s. He's always been known to get into dirty areas around the crease, and has the puck skills to actually bury his chances.

On top of Perry's offensive success, he also provides a physical presence that the Oilers have lacked in their bottom six this year. Perry brings an identity to the bottom six that's infectious to other players, and can turn the tide of a single game. Edmonton thought they were getting that with Frederic, but were sorely mistaken.

Perry's experience and locker room leadership is a whole other factor the Oilers are missing this year too, which can't be replaced by healthy scratched free agent signings.

There was obviously some sticker shock on Perry's new contract, and that may have been the reason the Oilers ultimately decided to let him walk.

He's signed to a 1 year contract for $2M, with bonuses that increase his cap hit to $4M. However, that still looks like a better deal than 8 years of Frederic.

The Oilers free agent decisions in the last two years have frankly been abysmal, but their worst decision may have been letting an in-house veteran walk to commit way more money to Frederic and Mangiapane.

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