The Los Angeles Kings are getting a boost to their lineup, with veteran forward Corey Perry set to make his season debut Tuesday night.
Perry, who’s been sidelined with a knee injury since before training camp, is returning way ahead of schedule. Doctors originally said he’d be out 6-8 weeks after surgery.
The 40-year-old forward joined the Kings this summer, signing a $2 million deal on July 1. It’s been quite a journey for Perry lately – he’s played for six different teams in just seven years.
But age hasn’t slowed him down much. Last season with the Edmonton Oilers, he put up some impressive numbers: 19 goals and 30 points, his best showing in three years.
The Kings will need to make some roster moves to fit Perry in. They’ll likely put Anže Kopitar on injured reserve – he’s dealing with a foot injury that’s expected to keep him out for a few weeks.
The big question is: Who sits out to make room for Perry in the lineup?
One likely candidate is center Samuel Helenius. He’s the only forward from the last game who hasn’t played in every contest this season. If he’s out, Alex Turcotte would probably move to center, opening up a wing spot for Perry.
Perry’s probably looking at fourth-line minutes to start – that makes sense since he’s coming back early and didn’t get any minor league conditioning time. Even last year with Edmonton, he was only playing about 12 minutes per game.
There’s also some money on the line for Perry. His contract includes some pretty sweet bonuses – he could double his $2 million salary if he plays 50 games and the Kings make it to the Stanley Cup Final. Just hitting that 50-game mark would earn him an extra $1.5 million.
