The Toronto Maple Leafs are linked to signing Corey Perry in free agency on July 1.
Toronto will likely look to add some more depth forwards to their roster, and adding veterans to the bottom of the lineup is key. The Maple Leafs are looking to add some secondary scoring to the roster, and NHL analyst Luke Fox of Sportsnet believes Toronto should look to sign Perry from the Edmonton Oilers.
“Flash back to the 2020 off-season: Then–Leafs GM Kyle Dubas chose to sign the younger Wayne Simmonds over Perry to fill the gritty, net-front veteran position,” Fox wrote. “While Simmonds has retired, the 40-year-old Perry keeps making trips to the Stanley Cup Final and has no intentions of quitting. It may be foolish to expect another 19 regular-season and 10 postseason goals from Perry. But the guy knows how to win. Another longtime Leafs villain who changes the makeup.”
Perry has skated in 1392 career games and is likely a future Hall of Famer who would add some more playoff experience to the lineup.
Perry is coming off a one-year, $1.15 million deal with the Oilers. Although he is 40, he’s still playing well and has said he wants a two-year deal. Perry recorded 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points in 81 games. In the playoffs, he added 10 goals and 4 assists for 14 points in 22 games.
Perry Could Hit Free Agency
Despite being a key player on the Oilers’ roster, Perry could be hitting the open market on July 1.
Perry has made it clear he wants to re-sign with the Oilers, but NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that the veteran forward may hit the open market.
“Corey Perry still hopes to re-sign in Edmonton but the pathway to common ground on a deal has been difficult with Oilers’ cap situation,” LeBrun wrote on X. “Very possible Perry ends up on the free-agent market Tuesday. But door remains open with Edmonton.”
Perry won the Hart Trophy – which is the NHL’s MVP – in 2011. He’s a four-time All-Star and is likely to be a Hall of Famer once he decides to retire. Perry also won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.
Maple Leafs Discussing Sign-And-Trade For Marner
Toronto has already re-signed John Tavares and Matthew Knies ahead of free agency beginning on July 1.
However, the top free agent available is Mitch Marner, who Toronto is trying to sign-and-trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. Although nothing has been made official, Maple Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving is hopeful a trade will happen.
“You’d always like to get something, right? That’s not always the case. That’s probably as far as I want to get into it, but we’ll see how things go,” said Treliving. “I don’t know if the chances are greater today than they were yesterday, or they’re going to be better or worse tomorrow. I understand the interest, but certainly we’ve got nothing to report, and I don’t want to get involved in speculation.”
If Toronto does trade Marner to Vegas, Nic Roy’s name has been rumored to be the potential return for the star winger.
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