Edmonton Oilers
Former Oiler Talks Challenge of Playing Alongside McDavid and Draisaitl
Playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl may seem easy, but this former Oiler says not so fast.
Corey Perry has had a legendary career that’s included winning a Hart Trophy, Rocket Richard Trophy, and a Stanley Cup championship. The longtime Anaheim Duck has played with some of the best players in the world throughout said career, though nothing compared to manning the wing of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton over the last two years.
Perry had tremendous success doing so, most notably throughout a great playoff run in 2024-25 that saw him produce 14 points (10 goals, four assists) in 22 games while handling the largest workload during his time as an Oiler.
While he looked right at home whenever tasked with flanking McDavid or Draisaitl, Perry recently revealed that playing with two superstars of that ilk is not quite as easy as it looks.
“It’s hard, because you’ve got to think faster than they do. They already know what they’re doing before they do it. You’ve got to see the play before they get the puck. That’s where it gets hard. It’s not the playing hockey — it’s reading the situations, reading the play. That’s one thing that’s probably kept me in this league: my IQ,”
The 40-year-old Perry signed a one-year, $2 million deal to join the Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings as a UFA this summer.
Corey Perry is Still Racking Up Points All These Years Later
As we saw throughout his time as an Oiler, Perry remains productive even into his forties now in Los Angeles.
After a knee injury before training camp that could have derailed the veteran winger’s season, all he’s done is hit the ground running, tallying 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in his first 23 games as a King, making quite the first impression.
All Perry now needs is to win that elusive second Stanley Cup, and after the heartbreak of losing in the Finals in five of the last six years, he deserves a chance to battle for one more ring.
In order to do so, he’ll very likely have to get through his old team at some point in the postseason, something his Kings have struggled mightily with in the past, and it won’t get any easier this time around with McDavid and Draisaitl more motivated than ever to win their first.
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