- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports Perry intends to play in 2026-27
- The 41-year-old becomes a UFA on July 1 after a split season with Los Angeles and Tampa Bay
- Read below for what Perry said about leaving the game, his cap-friendly track record, and the milestones still in range
Corey Perry isn’t done.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the 41-year-old winger plans to play a 22nd NHL season. Perry’s one-year, $2 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings expires July 1, which makes him a UFA for the seventh straight summer.
Perry was asked about his future earlier this month after the Lightning bowed out in seven games to the Canadiens.
“I still want to continue to play,” Perry told The Athletic. “Somebody said they’ll have to cut the skates off me before I leave this game. Just love the day-to-day being around. It’s fun. Hopefully it doesn’t come down to such an extreme ending.”
Los Angeles flipped Perry back to Tampa Bay at the March deadline for a 2028 second-round pick, giving him another swing at a Cup with a familiar room.
Here’s the deadline-day breakdown of his move from LA back to the Bolts:
The veteran settled in fast. Perry finished the regular season with 17 goals and 37 points in 72 games, six of those goals coming in 22 appearances after rejoining Tampa.
Watch his first goal in a Lightning sweater, against Toronto on March 7:
Tampa’s run ended in the first round, but Perry has spent half a decade making deep ones. He has lost the Stanley Cup Final five times in the last six years, twice with Edmonton and once each with Dallas, Montreal, and the 2022 Lightning. The ring he won with Anaheim back in 2007 is still the only one in his closet.
This is familiar ground for Perry. His one-year, $2M deal with the Kings last summer was the template. Cheap, short, deadline-ready for a contender. LeBrun says a return to Tampa looks unlikely, so Perry will be shopping again on July 1.
Two milestones also sit in range with a 22nd season on the books. Perry is 36 regular-season games shy of 1,500, a club only Alex Ovechkin and Brent Burns occupy among active skaters.
One thing is still missing: another Cup ring. Perry isn’t going to stop chasing it.
