The Los Angeles Kings brought in Corey Perry to help shore up the forward depth this summer — but the team will have to endure without the veteran for at least the first month of the campaign.
Perry was injured on Friday while taking part in a training skate with his new team. The ailment required surgery, NHL.com reported, which will cost the 40-year-old 6-8 weeks of the 2025-26 season.
It's a hugely disappointing update considering Perry was expected to take on an important bottom-six role right from the get go in his 21st NHL season. He signed a one-year contract with the Kings on July 1 after spending a year and a half with the bitter Pacific Division rival Edmonton Oilers.
Perry managed 19 goals and 30 points in 81 regular season contests, but upped his game tremendously in the playoffs. He amassed 10 goals and 14 points in 22 games, helping the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive year.
Unfortunately for Perry and his Edmonton teammates, they were again beaten by a powerhouse Florida Panthers team, this time in six games. Perry did his part, but his squad was unable to get over the hump despite a terrific postseason overall.
With his contract expiring, Perry decided to join the team that was beaten by the Oilers in Round 1 both of his years in Alberta. Edmonton has now defeated Los Angeles in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs a remarkable four consecutive times.
The Stanley Cup drought continues for Perry, who has now reached hockey's ultimate series in five of the last six seasons, losing every time. He won it all with the Anaheim Ducks as a youngster back in 2007, but has been unable to get to the top of the mountain again as a veteran.
Overall, Perry has managed 935 points in 1,392 regular-season games split between the Ducks, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and Oilers, “and 141 points (64 goals, 77 assists) in 237 playoff games, the third-most playoff games in league history, behind Chris Chelios (266) and Nicklas Lidstrom (263),” per NHL.com.
Kings' roster looks a little different this year
Although losing Perry for any stretch of time is discouraging, the Kings brought in a couple of other new faces this summer. That includes longtime Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia, defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci, and goaltender Anton Forsberg.
General manager Ken Holland was criticized for throwing so much money at a couple of aging players, and the most impactful thing that happened in California this summer was defensive stalwart Vladislav Gavrikov walking to sign with the New York Rangers.
After a terrific 2024-25 regular season, LA is still looking for answers after yet another loss to Edmonton in the playoffs. This team still hasn't been past the first round since winning it all in 2014. That was the Kings' second Stanley Cup championship in three years.
It'll be interesting to see if the squad can remain as solid as it has been over the last few years — at least in the regular-season — especially without Perry for roughly the first two months.
The Kings open their 2025-26 campaign against the Colorado Avalanche on October 7.
