CHICAGO — During the team’s dynasty years, he was a rival and often brought out some angst among fans of the Blackhawks.
But now in need of veterans to bolster a young team that will feature one of the best players in a generation, the team is officially bringing in this player fans got to know when he played in Anaheim.
After trading a 2024 seventh round pick to acquire his rights on Thursday, the Blackhawks signed forward Corey Perry to a one-year contract that has a $4 million cap hit on Friday.
Known for his scoring prowess early in his career and physical play, which included a few run-ins with the Blackhawks, the forward has played in the NHL for 18 seasons. He’s a four-time NHL All-Star and was named the Hart Trophy award winner for league MVP in 2011 with the Ducks, where he played for 14 seasons.
Perry’s made a few stops over the past few seasons, playing with the Stars in 2019-2020, the Canadiens in 2020-2021, and then the Lightning for the last two seasons. In Tampa Bay in 2022-2023, he scored 12 goals and 13 assists in 81 games, including two goals and three assists in six postseason contests.
Perry is the second former Hart Trophy winner to join the Blackhawks this week, joining 2018 MVP winner Taylor Hall, who was acquired in a trade with the Bruins on Monday.
They were brought to Chicago to bring some veteran presence to a team that will feature center Connor Bedard, who was selected by the team with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft this week.