The Los Angeles Kings clearly want playoff success, and they were willing to bring a player who has tormented them for most of his career, in Corey Perry. It will certainly be weird to see the former Ducks and Oilers center with a Kings logo, but he brings exactly what they need.
That is why recently in an interview Oilers' forward Adam Henrique said he was 'not shocked' that Perry ended up with the Los Angeles Kings.
"Teams that play against him in the playoffs see how valuable he is, and if they get a chance to bring him in, they do," Henrique said on Leafs Morning Take.
The Kings have seen their season come to an end four straight seasons in a playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers, with Perry on the roster for the last two. While the first series was relatively quiet for Perry, this past season he had two goals and an assist in the six games against the Kings.
Corey Perry's finish to the playoffs is what should have the LA Kings intrigued
While the Oilers came up short for the second straight season in the Stanley Cup Final, Perry was excellent down the stretch for them. In the final two games of the Western Conference Final, Perry would have three points and kept the momentum going into the Stanley Cup Final with four points in the first five games of the series.
It will be interesting to see how the Kings balance Perry's workload during the season because they are going to need him the most in the playoffs. He should be expected to spend the season on the fourth line with Joel Armia and Alex Turcotte, which should help keep his minutes in the 12 minutes per game range.
However as Henrique said, there is no question how valuable he is in the playoffs and it wouldn't be surprising to see the ice time increase come playoff time.