TALKING POINTS: Perry & Holland speak after forward signs one-year contract

Forward Corey Perry was unveiled as the newest member of the Edmonton Oilers by General Manager & President of Hockey Operations Ken Holland on Monday in the Hall of Fame Room at Rogers Place.

Earlier in the morning, the 38-year-old officially signed a one-year contract with the Oilers for an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000 plus performance bonuses.

Perry spoke about his excitement to join the Oilers organization, his playoff experience and more as he was introduced alongside Holland, who added his comments about signing Perry after his contract was terminated by the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this season.

Read the transcript and watch Monday's full press conference below:

Holland provides his opening remarks:

“Thank you all for coming. I’m here today to introduce the newest Oiler, Corey Perry. Late Saturday afternoon, I was in Calgary for the game against the Flames and we agreed to a one-year contract. I was hoping to keep it a secret and have an announcement today, but it's getting harder and harder to keep things secret in the world that we live in, so that's why I'm here today to introduce Corey.

“In 2019, when Corey was bought out by the Anaheim Ducks during my first year here as the general manager of the Oilers, I went after Corey hard and unfortunately, he made the decision to go to Dallas, so I've kind of been hot after Corey for the last few years. I think he's the type of player that every team wants on their team. He's got an incredible winning pedigree. We were just talking inside – we were together in 2010 in Vancouver when Canada won the Olympic gold. When I was in Detroit in 2007, they beat us in the third round and went on to win the Stanley Cup. He's won a World Championship, a Memorial Cup, World Juniors, so certainly, he's been a player that's been on a lot of winning teams.

“When Chicago terminated his contract earlier this year, at some point in time after that I reached out to his agent Pat Morris to find out what was going on. And over the course of the last few weeks, I've done due diligence to get to this point. I’ve talked to [NHL Deputy Commissioner] Bill Daly. At Corey's request, he reached out to Commissioner Gary Bettman and Bill Daly and Corey and he and his agent went and met with them in person so that Corey could tell Commissioner Bettman and Bill Daly why his contract was terminated in Chicago. I have talked to Bill Daly. I've talked to Kyle Davidson, the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. We've talked to other people who know Corey and talked internally.

“I've obviously talked to Coach Knoblauch, [Oilers CEO, Hockey Operations & Alternate Governor] Jeff Jackson, people in our organization and ultimately decided – in talking to Corey, talking to Pat and the things that Corey has gone through here over the last two months between the hockey, what he brings to a hockey team, his winning pedigree and what he's done over the last couple of months to make himself a better person – we felt that this was an opportunity to add a player that could make us better on and off the ice.

“He's a great leader. I love that come playoff time, you think about blue paint goals and greasy goals, and that's what Corey stands for. I'm excited today to introduce Corey to the Edmonton Oilers, and I'll let Corey talk and we'll be open for questions.”

Perry delivers his opening remarks:

“Hey, guys. Over the last two months, I've really had a chance to reflect and get help and take full responsibility for what happened in Chicago and try to better myself. Those are the things that I've been working on with people in the mental health field and in different fields. It's been a long time to get back to this spot, to be back on that ice with players in the NHL, and I have to thank my family, my friends, all the support I've gotten – the support from my counsellors and just trying to better myself each and every day – and from where I was two months ago to where I am today, I think it's been a world of difference with the help that I've gotten and from where I've come from.

“On the hockey side, I'm excited to be here. This is a passionate fan base. It's an exciting town, an exciting time for the Oilers organization. I mean, you look around that room and you got some pretty tremendous players in Connor, Leon, Darnell, and the list just keeps going on. So like I said, I got to say thank you to the Oilers organization, to Ken, to everybody involved to be here sitting here today and talking in front of you guys.”

Perry on if he thought he’d return to the NHL:

“Well, when everything happened and my contract was terminated, I didn't know where things were going to go. So at first, I took care of myself. That was at the front of it – to take care of myself, get myself in a better position, and move on from there and take it day by day. It's been two months, and every day is a step in the right direction and that's what I'm going to continue to do.”

Perry on coming to an Oilers locker room and Oil Country whom he’s had intense battles against as an opposing player over the years:

“It’s exciting. This isn't the first team I've been on where I've had battles with fans, other players or whatever, so you walk into the dressing room, you say hi, you get it out of the way and you move on. I'm excited to really get down to work with these guys and put the work in and see where this thing can go.”

Holland on making the addition of Perry with the team on a 13-game win streak and when Perry could make his Oilers debut:

“Obviously, you're trying to make the team better. I’ve been fortunate to have been around some good teams through the years, and you never really know. But certainly, we're adding a player here that’s won at every level. I got to watch him firsthand in Detroit. We had some battles when he was in Anaheim and I was in Detroit, and I got to know him a little bit when were together in 2010 at the Olympics. 

“We're adding a player that, in my opinion, plays playoff hockey – greasy, gritty, dirty and heavy on the puck down low. You need lots of depth. You don't know about injuries as you go into the playoffs, so you need lots of players. You need lots of depth up front. You need lots of depth on defence. Corey and I talked to Kris today. We're kind of shooting for Saturday; have a good week of practice because then, we go into that nine-day break and then don't come out until I think the following Tuesday in Vegas. So I'd like to get him to play a game here before we go into the break. [Knoblauch] put in Holloway the other night. I think he put in Gagner, and Gagner scored the winning goal. So we're on a great run, but we're going to lose some games here. It's the National Hockey League and there are 40 games to go.

"So today, I think we got our team better, deeper, bigger, stronger and more competitive. And from here to the Trade Deadline, we'll continue to see if we can find ways to make our team better.”

Holland on the value Perry’s skillset can bring to the Oilers forward group:

“What I like about Corey is that he can slide up and down the lineup. Early in his career, he was a front-line player. He and Getzlaf carried the Anaheim Ducks. As his career has gone on, he's got a little bit older. He slid down the roster. He can play on your power play. 

“As we went through the process here over the last week or ten days, Corey had some other teams to consider. We've got some forwards here that can carry the puck and transport the puck. He's got great hockey sense and can move the puck, and you're trying to look for pieces that all fit together. So you need some transporters, some people that win battles, go to the blue paint, can give and go, so we kind of felt that it was a beautiful fit because we have some players here that he can complement up and down the lineup – in the top six and the bottom six – and he can play either. 

“He can go up the lineup if we need him, he can go down the lineup if we need him, and he can play on our power play. Certainly, we've got a good power play, but he kind of lived in that blue paint through the years, so he brings lots of different dimensions to our team.”

Perry on seeking help and the advice he’d give someone going through a similar difficult situation:

“This whole situation is not easy. But if you do have a problem, get help. There's no shame in it. If you need help, go find it and treat yourself. When I get up in the morning every day now, I can look myself in the mirror and be happy about myself and where I'm going and be proud of what I've done over the last two months.” 

Perry on why the Oilers were the right fit for him:

“Well yeah, I do want to say there were some other suitors out there that were great options and I want to thank them, but it all kept coming back here. When you have a six-year-old kid and you have Connor McDavid on the team, you kind of follow the Edmonton Oilers. 

“But all jokes aside, this team's going in the right direction – and not just because they've won 13 games in a row. You can see where they're going, their mindset and the vision that they want to win a Stanley Cup here. And I think you look at the pieces around that dressing room, as Ken alluded to, there are guys in there that can play this game and play it well. And when you really get down to it, there's a team in here that wants to win. When I talked to Connor before coming here and signing, he mentioned all the great things that the dressing room has, and it really spoke words and spoke volumes for me coming here.”

Perry on if there’s anything he can add on the termination of his contract with Chicago:

"I think when I put out my statement, it kind of mentioned everything and that's kind of all I'm going to elaborate on.”

Perry on how he’d describe his meeting with Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly:

“Yeah, I talked with my agent Pat and it was kind of our decision to see if they would see us. We reached out to them and we found a meeting spot, and I went in and it was a great conversation. I got his more-or-less blessing to come back, and he just asked how I'm doing personally and that's what he wanted to know – what I've been doing and what I'm going to continue to do in seeing people and continuing to talk to people and keep getting help and do all the right things. 

“And today, here we are. This is what it's all about – coming back, being in the right spot, being healthy again, playing hockey and doing what I love.”

Holland on feeling comfortable about bringing Perry in after doing his due diligence:

“Do I know every detail? No, but I have talked to [Chicago GM] Kyle Davidson, who obviously is the manager of that team. I can't tell you exactly what we said, but based upon my conversation with Kyle Davidson, my conversations with Bill Daly, my conversations with Corey, what Corey has done over the last two months to get help, and we've talked to some other people, it ultimately led us to making this decision to be here today and for Corey. 

Perry on if he plans to appeal his contract termination by the Blackhawks:

“I'm not going to talk about that right now.”

Perry on how his career’s unfolded since playing for Team Canada at the 2007 World Juniors in North Dakota:

“What was it we were talking earlier? It was 20 years ago when I was almost an Edmonton Oiler in a trade, and I was at a World Junior camp that year in Kitchener and I remember everything going on there. So it's almost been 20 years to the day where I was almost an Oiler, but this ride has been pretty amazing. Being fortunate enough to play for some good teams, some good coaches, some good general managers, some good players, you don't dream of this. You dream of it, but working at it and nothing but hard work has got me here and that's what I've been fortunate enough to do.”

Perry on playing against the Oilers throughout his career and his current thoughts on the team:

“Through my career, my first year in the NHL, they beat us in the Conference Final. I remember that very vividly. And this team, there's been some ups and downs, but it's going in the right direction and it's only getting up and it's only getting better. And obviously, playing against the two guys that are in that dressing room in Leon and Connor, with Connor being probably the best player in the world with what he does, you can see what he did in practice today and you just shake your head. I'm excited just to be a part of it, to learn and keep pushing forward.”

Perry on becoming a playoff performer over his career with 124 points in 156 career post-season appearances:

“There's just something about playoffs. I walked into the rink one day and I remember having a conversation with [Lightning Head Coach] Jon Cooper and he goes, ‘How do you feel?’ 

“I go, ‘It feels like playoffs. It feels like there’s a different scent in the air'.

We weren't even playing for a couple more days, but it was just that the regular season was over and it was playoff time. And that's when you push everything to the side and your only focus is for eight weeks, you have one job and there's nothing better than winning. That's what it comes down to. That's why you play this game – to win.”

Perry on how he’s stayed in physical shape over the last two months:

“I've been skating quite a bit. When the whole situation went down, I was in Chicago for a little bit. My family's still in Chicago. I got out and I went home and I had my personal trainer there. I had my power-skating coach in Kathy McLlwain. I had ice over Christmas, so I've been on the ice four or five times a week since probably early December, so I've been keeping up with everything because if I didn't and this day did come, I'd be behind the eight-ball. But today was a good day and it's only going to get better from there.”

Perry on his excitement to play in a Canadian NHL market with full arenas after last playing in Canada with Montreal in 2020-21:

“Well, I think you can say the fan base in Edmonton is tremendous. And just being in Canada and being a part of hockey in Canada, there's only a certain amount of teams in Canada that people cheer for. But to be here and to put on the Oilers jersey is a special feeling. And you know what? It's life in Canada. Hockey is life and there's no better place to play.”

Perry on Anaheim’s controversial tying goal in Game 5 of their second-round series against the Oilers in 2017:

“Which one are you talking about? The Kessler one – the one where we tied it? Yeah, I have no issue with it [smiles]. The league had no issue with it. The puck went over the line and you move on to overtime.”

Holland on the approaching Trade Deadline with his players currently playing terrific hockey:

“When players are playing really well, those are nice problems to have. Our pro scouts are flying in today. I think like most teams, all 32 teams in the National Hockey League either I think last week or this week, they're having pro meetings. We're going to have pro meetings here Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I have been reaching out and had some communication with many general managers over the last week in preparation to kind of to see what some teams out there might be thinking. We have to decide what we're thinking. In the meantime, the most important thing is that we've kept winning. We're in the playoffs today, but we need to keep winning games and keep kind of solidifying a playoff position. That's got to happen over the next month. I do anticipate that most trades are going to happen [earlier]. March 8th is the deadline, so say the last couple of weeks leading into that.

“I just keep watching. Stu Skinner is playing I think as good as any goaltender, What does he have, a .935 or .940 save percentage over the last 15,16, 17 games? Our team is playing really good team defence. Obviously right now everything's going well. Now, again, it's the NHL. I've been around for a long time. At some point in time, it comes off a little bit and goes the other way, so that's why I talked to [media member] about the importance of having lots of players and lots of depth. But I don't really have an answer for you. I got to bring our people in, I got to keep watching games, and ultimately make a decision. 

"Cal Pickard's playing great. Stu Skinner is playing great. Actually, Jack Campbell is playing great now. He got off to a really tough start in Bakersfield. I think in his last eleven games he's almost a .920 save percentage. I know he gave up two goals and 35 shots thereabouts on Saturday night, and he's had lots of those over the last little while, so those are good problems. Those aren't bad problems, but we'll kind of assess what we're going to do here over the next three days and then start to work the phones. It depends what's going on out there. And as [media member] had said, hopefully with Corey we can keep winning and things look good. So I’ve just got to keep watching.”