Corey Perry will be a big help to the Tampa Bay Lightning
During the Tricolore's last season, there was one player that the entire province discovered both for his desire to win and for his hustle: Corey Perry. Many were disappointed to see that the forward agreed to a deal with the Lightning for the next two seasons.
Now, with the goal of helping his new team to a three-peat, Perry will certainly continue to do what he does best on the ice, harm the opposition.
His new teammate Pat Maroon actually spoke with The Athletic to discuss what Perry will bring to the Lightning.
"I think he can push us over the fence again. He still has it, the passion, the talent, the fire and he's getting better as he gets older. In the last two years, he was one of the best players on the Dallas Stars and the Montreal Canadiens. We talked about it among teammates and he was the guy we wanted. We're happy that Julien got a hold of him."
Let's remember that Maroon faced Perry in the Stanley Cup Final the last two years. In the 2019-2020 season, Tampa Bay had the upper hand over the Dallas Stars in 6 games.
"He's one of the best in the league at falling on goalies. He always has to have the last shot!", mentioned Rick Bowness, Perry's former coach.
After his first loss in the finals, Perry signed a one-year deal with the Tricolore. In 49 games in Montreal, the Ontario native scored 21 points, but it was his leadership that stood out. The 36-year-old forward was a key part of Dominique Ducharme's team during the playoffs.
"He plays on the cutting edge. He walks the fine line of legality and forces his rivals to do stupid things," said his former teammate Andrew Cogliano.
Since the beginning of his career, Perry has received no less than 1219 penalty minutes. He is also capable of filling the opposing net and has scored 386 goals since 2006.
Now with a revamped roster, the Lightning will have to prove themselves again with the departure of a few veterans. Expectations will be high as Jon Cooper's team could win a third consecutive Stanley Cup. The same kind of feat was accomplished by the New York Islanders who won it four times between 1980 and 1983.
