Insider Reveals: Corey Perry "Scared The Hell Out Of A Lot Of Teams"

Once Corey Perry appeared back on the scene recently, with the proverbial green light to return to the league when he was ready, we heard that there would be lots of interest in the 19-year veteran, despite the mysterious and still largely unknown details around the incident that led to his contract termination by the Chicago Blackhawks in November. 

But now that Perry has signed a one-year, minimum contract with the Edmonton Oilers, it appears that interest around the disgraced forward was not so robust after all. 

Hockey insider and former NHLer Nick Kypreos revealed on Sportsnet Radio The Fan 590 Monday afternoon that takers for Perry were scarce... and scared.

There was no bidding war for him, there was no sweepstakes for Corey Perry... One of the things that was brought to my attention was not knowing the details... 

And that scared the hell out of a lot of teams. 

If you're a hockey club and you thought about (signing) Corey Perry and you don't know all the details, the one thing that stands out is 'if I don't know all the details about this one incident, is there a potential that there are other incidents that might come out later? And they did not want to take that chance. 

How much interest was there around the NHL for Corey Perry?@RealKyper shares some insight on the veteran's market before signing with the #Oilers with @jtbourne & @SamAMcKee. #LetsGoOilers

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"Was that situation an isolated incident or is there a chance that something else could surface down the road?" added Kypreos.

Oilers GM Ken Holland, who did his due diligence, admitted today after announcing Perry's signing that even he didn't know all the details. But they were willing to take that chance to add a player who "plays playoff hockey, greasy, gritty, dirty."

Perry, 38, is a former Hart Trophy winner (2011), 50-goal scorer and Stanley Cup winner (2007) with 421 career goals. He had nine points in 16 games in Chicago before he was released two months ago.

He's expected to debut with the Oilers this coming Saturday night. 

Photo: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports