Multiple insiders are reporting on Thursday that Edmonton Oilers’ forward Corey Perry has settled his dispute with the Chicago Blackhawks over his contract termination earlier this season. Perry was released by the Blackhawks after an alleged alcohol-induced incident. It’s not clear what actually happened and Perry neither the organization nor the player have spoken about it publicly. But, the Blackhawks seem to have acknowledged some sort of responsibility in an attempt to avoid a formal grievance being filed.
Frank Seravalli reports, “Sounds like there is a small salary cap charge coming for Blackhawks as a result of the settlement between Chicago, Corey Perry, the NHL and NHLPA after what Perry’s camp alleged was an improper contract termination. Rather than a grievance, a financial resolution was reached.” Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic confirmed, “The NHL and NHLPA have resolved the Corey Perry contract termination by Chicago from earlier this season. Ultimately, no grievance was filed on the matter.”
Essentially, it’s likely Perry and the NHLPA examined a formal grievance, and instead of all parties going through that process, the Blackhawks agreed to a settlement. They will face a bit of a salary cap penalty. Others are wondering if Perry is admitting that he stepped out of bounds with his actions. Going this route would avoid the whole lengthy process of a grievance. Perhaps getting anything was better than getting nothing and having to talk about what happened.
Of course, all of that is merely speculation. Elliotte Friedman notes, “While exact details of the settlement are unknown, the key in this case is it cannot be used as precedent in any future termination conversations.” He added, “The players’ association wanted to make sure guaranteed contracts will be protected as much as is possible.”
Everyone Can Move On Now, Including Perry, The Blackhawks and the Oilers
With this issue now resolved, everyone can move forward. The Blackhawks have dealt with a player they chose not to keep around. Perry is getting something and the NHLPA can say they did their job by representing players, even if a formal grievance wasn’t part of the process.
So too, the Edmonton Oilers can focus on Perry being part of their active roster without the fear of this whole thing being a distraction as the Oilers battle in the postseason. Neither Perry nor the Oilers likely wanted that.
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