For the second time in as many offseasons, the Los Angeles Kings and general manager Ken Holland have signed veteran winger Corey Perry to a one-year contract in unrestricted free agency.
This past regular season, the Kings got an immediate spark offensively from Perry when he debuted in the lineup last fall after suffering a lower-body injury in training camp. He scored seven goals and 11 total points in the first 10 games he played in the black and silver last season.
The Kings traded Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning around the trade deadline in early March this past season. He now returns to Los Angeles at the age of 41 for the upcoming 2026-27 season, which will also be his 22nd season in his NHL career.
Corey Perry 2025-26 player season recap
2025-26 season stats: 72 games played (50 /w Kings), 17 goals (11), 20 assists (17), 37 points (28), 0 (-1)
2025-26 advanced stats: 15.0 shooting %, 8.1 5-on-5 shooting %, 2.0 points/60, 1.0 point shares, 0.7 WAR
2025-26 possession metrics (with Kings): 57.5 CF%, 59.3 SCF%, 103.3 PDO, 61.8 HDCF%
Perry missed the start of this past regular season for the Kings after undergoing knee surgery from an injury he suffered before training camp. But once he returned to the lineup for the Kings, he made an immediate impact on the team's offense.
We already mentioned the scorching hot start offensively Perry got off to for the Kings this past regular season, producing at a clip of just over one point per game in the season's first 10 games. He did all that while averaging just under 12 minutes on the ice per game early this past regular season for the Kings.
In 50 games played with the Kings this past season, Perry recorded 11 goals, 17 assists, and 28 total points. Including his production with the Lightning after the trade deadline, Perry recorded 17 goals, 20 assists, and 37 total points in 72 games played in the 2025-26 season.
Perry's ability to provide an impactful netfront presence, get under opponents' skin on the ice, and generate scoring chances around the crease was very valuable to the Kings' bottom-six this past season. He also made a sizable impact on special teams on the power play with the second unit for the Kings.
In just over 130 minutes on the ice on special teams on the power play, Perry registered four goals, seven assists, and 11 total points for the Kings.
After the Kings traded Perry to Tampa Bay around the trade deadline, he was more quiet in terms of offensive production to finish out the regular season.
Corey Perry 2026-27 Los Angeles Kings season preview
Interestingly enough, the Kings and Holland decided to bring back Perry for another season on a one-year, $1 million contract in unrestricted free agency this offseason. The familiarity Perry has playing for teams under Holland as the general manager is a trend that continues this upcoming season.
We have projected Perry to play with the fourth-line forward group this upcoming season alongside center Alex Turcotte and winger Joel Armia. At 41 years old, Perry won't be put in a role where he is asked to play significant minutes or be a big-time contributor in the offensive zone.
instead, the Kings will be asking Perry to provide a consistent netfront presence, play the agitator role on the ice, provide some secondary offense, and contribute on the second unit on special teams on the power play.
Since he's only commanding a $1 million cap hit this upcoming season, expecting Perry to produce double-digit goals and at least 20-25 points in a limited role in the bottom six and on special teams is pretty realistic.
Going into this upcoming season, Perry is just 36 games away from reaching the milestone of 1,500 career games played in the NHL. If he stays healthy coming out of training camp and the preseason this fall, Perry should be able to reach that milestone relatively early in the upcoming 2026-27 regular season.
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