Greg WyshynskiESPN Nov 25, 2023, 2:10pm ET2 minute read
The Chicago Blackhawks said veteran forward Corey Perry will remain away from the team “for the foreseeable future.”
Perry, 38, did not play in Chicago’s last two games and did not practice with the Blackhawks this week.
“He is not with the team and will remain so for the foreseeable future,” GM Kyle Davidson said Saturday. “We are unable to provide an update on this.”
The decision to send Perry off the team was made by management, Davidson said.
“So far it has been a team decision to keep him out. That comes from the organization,” he said.
But Perry’s agent, Pat Morris, said in a statement Saturday that it was the player’s decision to leave the Blackhawks.
“Corey Perry has retired from the Chicago Blackhawks to attend to personal matters. “Corey and his family value privacy during this time,” Morris wrote.
Davidson declined to comment on whether Perry was injured. He wouldn’t rule out a trade for Perry.
“It is irresponsible to rule anything out, so I will not comment on possible outcomes,” he said.
Perry signed with the Blackhawks as a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has four goals and five assists in 16 games, a minus-6. He ran 14:43 in Chicago’s loss to Buffalo on Sunday.
Perry is a 19-year NHL veteran with 421 goals and 471 points in 1,273 games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2006/07 and the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2010/11.
The Blackhawks will also be without another former Hart Trophy winner: winger Taylor Hall is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury and surgery. Davidson said he is not interested in adding a veteran to the lineup at this time given the absences of Hall and Perry.
“There has been significant growth in the group as a collective. We brought in some players, but we already had some strong leaders here,” he said. “I’m not afraid that there’s enough leadership to see this through.” [team] forward.”
The Blackhawks are second to last in the Western Conference with a record of 6-12-1 (12 points).