The NHL Trade Deadline is just two hours away, and teams are looking to improve as they make their run at Lord Stanley's Cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning have made their next move as well. The Lightning had been linked to bringing back Steven Stamkos.
It is not a reunion with Stamkos, but they have made a reunion with a different player, according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.
Corey Perry has been traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Lightning in return for a second-round pick.
Perry was with the Lightning in 2021-22 and 2022-23, playing 163 games with the franchise, finding the back of the net 31 times, while adding 34 assists. He was the 28th overall selection of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2003, breaking into the league in 2005-06 with the franchise, and staying with them through the 2018-19 campaign.
He then bounced around the league, spending time with the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens, before joining the Lightning. Then, he had stints with the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers before signing a one-year deal with the Kings ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
This is a slightly surprising move that the Kings moved Perry, based on previous reporting from hockey insider Frank Seravalli.
“Can take Corey Perry off the Trade Targets board, he’s informed (Kings) he wants to stay. They will talk contract extension after the deadline. (Kings) unlikely to buy or sell,” Seravalli posted earlier this week on X, formerly Twitter.
As Perry and the Lightning reunite, the Bolts could still be looking to make more deals. Meanwhile, the Kings may be giving the signal of a small selloff.
For all of the NHL Trade Deadline reporting ahead of the Friday 3 p.m. ET deadline, stick with ClutchPoints as stories break and develop.
