Adding Corey Perry ‘changes the outlook’ of Oilers’ trade deadline, could ‘open the door’ for Jack Campbell move

Welcome to Oilersnation’s top 15 stories of the year, where we count down the most-read stories you, the reader, clicked on in 2024. 

Number 13 takes things all the way back to January, as the fallout of Corey Perry signing with the Edmonton Oilers continued.

After Perry was released by the Chicago Blackhawks in November 2023, he took some time away from the game before getting ready to return, and the Oilers swooped him up. The signing was made official on January 21st, and on the 22nd, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli talked about how it could change things for the team ahead of the trade deadline.

The article was written by Cam Lewis, where he highlighted some of Seravalli’s comments:

On Monday, the Oilers inked veteran winger Corey Perry to a one-year contract with a league minimum salary and added performance bonuses based on games played and how far the Oilers go into the playoffs. Edmonton placed forward Adam Erne on waivers in order to open room for Perry.

What’s next for the Oilers? Frank Seravalli and Jason Gregor talked on Monday’s episode of the DFO Rundown about some possibilities for the team with just over six weeks left until the 2023-24 NHL trade deadline.

Frank Seravalli: “My big question about this Corey Perry addition — how much does it change how they’re thinking about the trade deadline?”

Jason Gregor: “They’ve just added two pieces for nothing in Dylan Holloway and Corey Perry. They might look for one more forward, but I don’t think they have to make a massive splash, I’m not sure there’s one to be made out there.

Would they like to make a Mattias Ekholm-style trade to upgrade on Cody Ceci? Maybe. But I’ve gone through all the right-handed defencemen in the league who are realistic to acquire and I don’t see one that’s so blatantly an upgrade that it’s worth it to give up a lot to do it.

Frank Seravalli: “When I did my article about top objectives for each team heading into the trade deadline at Daily Faceoff, for the Oilers, it was third-line centre or second-line right winger.

Getting those two pieces for free, signing Perry, Holloway coming back from injury, it changes the outlook of their trade deadline. They have so much added flexibility. Plus, with less assets out the door, I think it opens up the door for them to move Jack Campbell.

You could say, ‘why do they have to do that now?’ But if you were ever to go after someone that has term on their contract, you have to have cap space beyond this year and into the future.

Seravalli was right about one of the Oilers targets in a third-line centre, as the team acquired Adam Henrique at the trade deadline, along with Sam Carrick, from the Anaheim Ducks. The Oilers weren’t able to swing a deal for anybody with term, but did in the summer picking up Matthew Savoie — still on his entry-level contract — for Ryan McLeod.

Jack Campbell, meanwhile, remained in the organization through the end of the Oilers season, but was bought out in the summer.