Corey Perry did not take part in the Chicago Blackhawks game on Wednesday night. And he did not train with his teammates on Thursday morning.
The reason for his absence? Complete mystery. The team indicated that this was an “organizational” decision, without providing additional details.
In a press scrum with journalists covering the Hawks’ activities on Thursday, head coach Luke Richardson immediately addressed this issue. “We are going to keep [this file] internally, I will not be able to answer questions about it,” he said.
Reporters tried to find out if this was “asset management”, a euphemism used when a team removes a player from the roster to trade him, or if Perry was the subject of a disciplinary sanction. Without success. “I can’t give you anything on that,” Richardson insisted.
Corey Perry, 38, is playing his first season in Chicago. The Blackhawks acquired him last June and offered him a one-year contract worth $4 million. We were counting on his presence and that of Nick Foligno to support the NHL debut of young prodigy Connor Bedard.
Foligno, precisely, considered that it was “unfortunate” for the club to have to do without Perry, but he assured that the players had “no details” regarding his absence.
During his 1,273-game NHL career, Perry played primarily in Anaheim, but also played in Dallas, Montreal and Tampa. He was on pace to reach the 900-point season mark.
