Corey Perry’s focus isn’t on hockey right now.
As the veteran forward made clear in a statement issued after the Chicago Blackhawks terminated his contract for material breach, Perry is prioritizing his family and health in this period in which he is not employed by a team during the NHL season. for the first time since 2004.
“I have begun working with experts in the fields of mental health and substance abuse to discuss my struggles with alcohol and will take all necessary steps to ensure this never happens again,” Perry wrote in a statement released Thursday. . “I hope to regain the trust and respect of all those who have believed in me.”
The specific details of what caused Chicago to cut ties with its alternate captain are still unknown. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson called it a “labor matter” and indicated it did not involve criminal activity.
His organization is understandably sensitive to any incident involving employee misconduct after he failed to act in 2010 when former player Kyle Beach alleged he had been sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldridge. The Blackhawks paid a $2 million fine to the NHL for “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response” when details of that situation emerged in 2021 and also reached a confidential settlement with Beach.
Still, a contract buyout like the one they initiated with Perry is rare in the NHL, particularly because it involves a former Hart Trophy winner who has a borderline case for eventual induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In recent years, NHL clubs have generally executed contract buyouts in cases involving criminal charges (Slava Voynov, Mike Richards) or for minor transgressions involving bottom-of-the-roster players (Brendan Leipsic, Jake Dotchin ).
Perry’s case appears to land somewhere in the middle of those two poles, at least based on how Davidson loosely framed what happened during an emotional media availability in Chicago on Tuesday night.
Even at 38 years old, Perry was an important player for the Blackhawks. He was carrying a card, being paid $4 million to serve as a mentor in a young locker room and sitting as the team’s No. 3 point producer when information reached management last week that prompted his removal from the lineup while an investigation was launched.
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On Tuesday, Perry had been granted unconditional waivers in order to opt out of the contract. It was a surprising turn of events with potential repercussions that extended far beyond the current situation.
Former
Without meaning any disrespect to anyone affected by Perry’s actions and without judging the circumstances that led him here, as they remain largely unknown, it is worth taking a step back to understand what constitutes reasonable grounds for terminating a contract with the NHL.
The standard is exceptionally high.
All offers are intended to be fully guaranteed.
And yet, the terms of a standard player contract do not offer complete clarity about what constitutes a material breach because, while Section 2(e) requires a player to “conduct himself on and off the court in accordance with the highest standards of honesty, morality, fair play and sportsmanship, and to refrain from conduct detrimental to the best interests of the Club, the League or professional hockey in general”, paragraph 4 of the SPC states that a team may “establish reasonable rules governing the conduct and conditioning of the player.” .” But if the player violates those rules, the punishment is limited to a “reasonable fine” or suspension from the team.
The standard for a breach worthy of termination of contract is not expressly spelled out.
We can only rely on history as a guide, and the examples are varied: everything from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s move to terminate Dotchin’s contract because he showed up to training camp out of shape in 2019, to the termination of Dotchin’s contract. Leipsic by the Washington Capitals in 2020 after private conversations became public in which he discussed drugs, women, and fellow NHL players and their partners, until the San Jose Sharks terminated Evander Kane’s contract in 2022 after that he presented a falsified vaccination card and did not show up.
The Kings terminated Richards’ contract in 2015 after he was charged with attempting to cross the border in possession of controlled substances, although they ultimately agreed to pay the player a portion of his remaining salary and were hit with a negotiated salary cap charge through 2032 as part of an agreement arising from a grievance.
And Los Angeles terminated Voynov’s contract two years later, after he was accused of domestic assault.
In Perry’s case, the Blackhawks said in a statement this week that he “engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and violates both the terms of his standard player contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional work environments and insurance”.
It is not entirely clear where exactly the line should be drawn.
For example, when a video surfaced of Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov in 2019 with what appeared to be cocaine on a table in front of him, the team suspended him three games for inappropriate conduct.
Judge the individual acts set forth here as best you can. The point is that an NHL player who has behaved unprofessionally doesn’t always end up with a terminated contract.
Potential complaint
Perry has 60 days to decide if he wants to file a complaint through the NHL Players Association. The matter remains under review, according to a union spokesperson.
If you decided to go that route, it would be an exercise in preserving your purchasing power.
Perry is entitled to keep about $1 million of his $4 million salary after spending about 25 percent of the season on the Blackhawks’ roster before his contract was terminated, meaning he technically owes money to the Blackhawks. organization because he received a $2 million signing bonus. during the summer.
However, you have the right to bring your case to an independent arbitrator, in accordance with Article 17 of the NHL collective bargaining agreement.
Should that happen, Perry would be fighting to receive the full amount of remaining salary owed on his contract in 2023-24. There is no situation where he can be reinstated to the Blackhawks roster and play there again anytime soon.
Filing a complaint would also open the possibility of reaching a negotiated settlement as Dotchin and Richards did. Kane also received money from the Sharks to help make up the difference between what he was originally owed and what he received in the contract he signed as a free agent in Edmonton.
The future
Perry is already an unrestricted free agent and owns all the rights granted to any player in that situation.
He is eligible to sign a contract with another NHL team at this time. And he would need to sign somewhere before the March 8 trade deadline in order to suit up for the upcoming playoffs.
There’s still no indication that a comeback is even remotely a priority for Perry. His statement focused entirely on addressing the remorse he felt for the harm caused by his actions and revealing his need to enter treatment for his alcohol problems.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, including ownership, management, coaches, employees and my teammates,” Perry wrote. “I would also like to apologize to my fans and my family. “I am ashamed and I have let you all down.”
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Rival teams that currently have no more knowledge about what led to the termination of Perry’s contract than the general public are expected to be aware of his situation. They would like to better understand the circumstances surrounding his departure from Chicago to evaluate whether he will ever be fit to resume his hockey career and will eventually need to see where he is personally after he has been given time off to seek treatment.
There may still be a path back to the NHL for Perry.
Only time will tell.
(Photo: Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
