‘The ball is in his court’: Insider predicts Corey Perry will test free agency

After scoring 29 goals in 103 games between the regular season and playoffs in 2024-25, Corey Perry isn’t going to have a difficult time finding a contract this summer.

Earlier this month, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported that Perry’s “top priority” was to re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers. But with less than a day until free agency opens on July 1, the 40-year-old hasn’t come to terms on a new contract.

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Perry will likely test the open market this week. The Oilers want to bring the veteran winger back, but they’re in a difficult salary cap bind with restricted free agent Evan Bouchard also unsigned.

The Edmonton Oilers want Corey Perry back but are currently limited in what they can offer him, so in their view, the ball is in his court.

Edmonton can’t chase it financially. There will most likely be better offers on the table come Tuesday for the 40-year-old winger, who continues to be an impactful player despite his age. Things change by the hour on June 30 as I write this, but all signs point to Perry going to market.

At the time of writing, the Oilers have just over $11 million in open salary cap room. Bouchard is reportedly nearing a deal that would pay him $9.5 million annually over four seasons, which would leave the Oilers with only about $1.5 million in wiggle room otherwise.

With the goal of getting faster and younger, Perry might not fit into Edmonton’s plans this summer. If the two sides decide to move on, Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff listed the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars as teams to watch.

The Corey Perry situation is an interesting one to watch. He wants to win but it’ll be tough for the Oilers to bring him back with their cap situation.

I’d watch Los Angeles (Ken Holland brought him to EDM) and maybe even a return to Dallas.

Perry signed a one-year, $1.15 million contract with the Oilers last summer that also featured $250k in performance bonuses, all of which were earned. He scored 19 goals and 30 points in 81 regular-season games and then added 10 goals and 14 points in 22 playoff games.