Montreal Canadiens looking for stability with Corey Perry

The Montreal Canadiens finished last season with a 31-31-7 record, 24th in the NHL. They were particularly mediocre offensively with an average of 2.93 goals scored per game. In attempts to bolster the attack with a veteran presence, the team signed Corey Perry to a one-year contract worth $750,000.

The 35-year-old veteran, Corey Perry, appeared in 57 games last season with the Dallas Stars. He scored only five goals in the regular season, but stepped up in the playoffs, scoring the same number of goals in 27 games. Perry’s efforts helped the Stars advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Corey Perry was drafted in the 28th overall in the 2003 NHL draft by the Anaheim Ducks. He surpassed 30 goals in a season six times, leading the league with 50 goals in 2010-2011. A two-time All-Star, Corey Perry was a key member of the 2007 Stanley Cup champion team and has also excelled on the world stage, earnings gold medals for Team Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games.

Perry joins Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Arturri Lehkonen, Jordan Weal, and Alex Belzile among the right wingers on the Montreal Canadiens. Gallagher led the group with 22 goals and 43 points. Joel Armia was second among right wingers with 16 goals and 30 points. The remainder of the group either has little NHL experience or little contribution in games they have actually played in.

Considering Corey Perry hasn’t come close to the 30-goal plateau since the 2015-2016 season, he clearly isn’t the offensive threat he once was. However, Perry brings stability to a relatively weak unit once you get past Gallagher and Armia. In 1045 NHL games with the Ducks and Stars, Perry has 377 goals, 420 assists, a Hart Memorial Trophy and a Maurice Richard Trophy.