Former Stanley Cup champion 'excited' for California return after signing with Kings

In a new interview with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, veteran winger Corey Perry spoke of his excitement to return to California to continue his playing career. After spending the last year-and-a-half with the Edmonton Oilers, Perry signed a one-year, $2M contract with the Los Angeles Kings this offseason.

“Playing in California, playing in Anaheim for 14 years, you kind of call that home,” Perry said. “It was a big part of my career, my life, and it always will be.

“Going back to California, we know it’s not the exact same place, but it’s still exciting to go back to Southern California. We’re looking forward to it.”

Despite spending the first 14 years of his career with a California-based team, it’s been six years since he’s played for one. After having the final two years of his eight-year, $69M extension with the Anaheim Ducks bought out before the 2019-20 season, Perry scored 76 goals and 159 points in 404 games between the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and Oilers. He’s been more successful in the postseason, scoring 28 goals and 52 points in 119 games, including five trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

Still, Perry is far better known for his play in Orange County over the years, scoring 372 goals and 776 points in 988 games as a Duck. Outside of helping the team win their first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2007, Perry earned the Hart Memorial and Maurice Richard Trophy during the 2010-11 season. Although he’s a native of Peterborough, Ontario, Perry considers California home, saying, “Playing in California, playing in Anaheim for 14 years, you kind of call that home. It was a big part of my career, my life, and it always will be.”

Other notes from the Western Conference:

• In a new mailbag from The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, the columnist opines that while he may not start the season on the Blackhawks roster, we should expect to see prospect Nick Lardis at some point during the 2025-26 season. To push back a bit, it may not be the worst idea for Chicago to give Lardis a nine-game tryout this season. The former 67th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft had an unbelievable year in the OHL last season, scoring 71 goals and 117 points in 65 games for the Brantford Bulldogs. If the brief tryout doesn’t go well, the Blackhawks can demote him to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, since he’s 20 years old.
• In a write-up on the last pick of the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, Cullen Potter explained to Aaron Vickers of NHL.com that instead of having a role model in the NHL, Potter has modeled his game after his mother’s, USA Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Jenny Schmidgall-Potter. The recent pick of the Calgary Flames and a sophomore at Arizona State University was quoted saying, “I haven’t watched too much tape, but just at the outdoor rinks I definitely probably mimic some of her stuff. I think some people that watched her play say I mimic her a little bit.”