Will Corey Perry Be Back in the NHL Soon?

Corey Perry's tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks was brief and ended with the team terminating his contract after inappropriate behavior at a team function.

The veteran forward is back in the news as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has given his blessing for Perry to return to the ice.

The Athletic and TSN hockey reporter Chris Johnston has a piece out saying contending teams are interested in Perry (subscription required).

Johnston's report does have teams flat-out refusing to bring him into their organization. He did find teams that are doing their due diligence on Perry. The main reason teams want to bring Perry in is because he has played in over 200 playoff games. He will come cheap too.

He also showed he still has some game left with nine points in 16 games. Perry has always been a character concern and the incident that led to his dismissal only amplified that.

Johnston did not specifically list the teams that admitted they are researching adding Perry. He did list the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins, and Vegas Golden Knights as teams that make sense to pursue Perry.

Sportsnet.com's Luke Fox linked the Toronto Maple Leafs as a possible landing spot for Perry. They could use a fourth-line winger and Perry would not cost any draft picks or prospects to acquire.

The Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson thinks the Oilers should sign Perry because they need a player with extensive experience making deep runs in the playoffs.

A contender is going to have to weigh the risk of Perry possibly causing more trouble compared to having a player who can help a team make a playoff push. Perry did something so awful that he was deemed to be toxic to the Blackhawks' work environment. If Perry is not signed by a team by the March 8th deadline to be added to a roster and be playoff eligible, you will get the feeling of just how bad his actions were to get him tossed off the team.