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How Corey Perry Almost Became an Oiler 20 Years Ago



Those who follow the Edmonton Oilers are very familiar with Corey Perry.
Having spent the first 14 seasons of his NHL career in the Pacific Division with the Anaheim Ducks, Perry has 52 points across 66 games against the Oilers, the second-most of any opponent he’s faced.

Known as “The Worm” for his willingness to go to the dirty areas of the ice, Perry made himself Public Enemy No. 1 during Edmonton’s second-round loss to Anaheim during the 2016-17 playoffs with agitating play and clutch scoring, the epitome of a player you hate to play against but would love to have on your team.

Earlier this week, the long-time foe became a teammate, as Perry inked a one-year contract to join the Oilers for the rest of the 2023-24 season. Now in the latter stages of his career, the 38-year-old Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner will finally suit up for the team that nearly traded for him when he was still a prospect.

Just over 20 years ago, the Oilers had a deal worked out that would have resulted in Perry being traded to Edmonton for disgruntled forward Mike Comrie. Before getting into what happened, let’s back up for some context.

Written and Narrated by Cam Lewis

Edited by Elijah Nachtigall

11 Comments

  1. I remember this all very well. Woywitka was considered a better prospect than Perry at the time but the Ducks pick was expected to be higher so both deals seemed about even.

  2. So if Edmonton got Perry they never would have got Pronger. Meaning Pronger probably wouldnā€™t have ended up in Anaheim meaning Anaheim probably wouldnā€™t have won the cup because Progner and Perry were the reasons they did win. Mind blown.

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