Corey Perry is returning to Tampa Bay, as the Los Angeles Kings traded the veteran forward to the Lightning on Friday in exchange for a 2028 second-round draft pick. The Kings will retain half of his salary.
Perry, who has 11 goals and 28 points in 50 games this season, previously spent two seasons with the Lightning, including the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022. The veteran forward is expected to slot into the bottom-six and provide scoring while Nick Paul, Gage Goncalves and Dominic James all battle through injuries.
“Corey is a winner with a proven track record in the playoffs,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said Friday. “He makes our team better. He will bring snarl to our group, and he will bring additional scoring ability to our bottom six.”
Before the trade, Perry had informed the Kings that he hoped to stay and discuss a contract extension at the end of the season. BriseBois said conversations with Kings GM Ken Holland began earlier this week. Perry also had to waive his no-trade clause, which he did enthusiastically.
© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images“I think he wasn’t available unless maybe the right team called,” said BriseBois. “I guess he felt we were the right team. When I talked to Corey, he was really, really excited about coming back to this group and the opportunity we have here.”
In the past three seasons, Ryan McDonagh, Yanni Gourde and Corey Perry have all returned to the Lightning roster. For McDonagh and Gourde, the transition was fairly seamless, picking up right where they left off. Since returning, they’ve played significant roles on the team.
"It's more the familiarity,” BriseBois said of players returning. “We're not bringing them back because we're trying to put the band together. We're not trying to go back to 2020 or 2021, 2022. We're trying to win the Cup in 2026 and beyond. The guys that came back, did so for very specific reasons, and they fit a very specific need. The acquisition cost made sense in all those cases, and it always comes back to every decision we make — we make thinking it improves our odds of bringing the Cup back to town.”
What makes Perry valuable in the postseason is not only his experience and skill, but also his ability to get under opponents’ skin. The Lightning have overcome a number of key injuries this season to put themselves in a position to contend again. Perry will add depth and a leadership presence to their forward group.
"It’s not so much about his production on the ice — although I expect him to contribute,” said BriseBois. “It’s also the impact he has on everyone else and how he can make the rest of the team better. That’s why I think we moved the needle a little bit today in the right direction.”