Mysterious situation developing involving Corey Perry in Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks signed Corey Perry this offseason to a one-year $4M contract, hoping that the 38-year-old veteran could be a positive presence on a rebuilding Blackhawks team. Now, some serious questions are being raised.

After a successful start to the season, scoring 4 goals and 9 points in 16 games, Perry was scratched for last night's game in Columbus. The move was explained as an "organizational decision" by the team earlier, but now, Perry is mysteriously missing from practice.


Now it seems that Perry could be dealing with something off the ice. It feels unlikely that the Hawks would hold Perry out for a trade, being so early into the season and with Perry having a clear role as a mentor on the team. Not only that, but he carries an unusually large salary for a depth player his age.


When asked at practice, reporter Mark Lazerus followed up with veteran Nick Foligno about Perry's status, who also has no knowledge at the time.


It's a really strange situation, given that there was no clear identifier that might explain an injury, nor has the team expressed concerns over any type of injury or illness. A trade remains a possibility, but no Insiders have reported that anything is particularly close or that he's even being linked to another club.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see what new information comes out of Perry's absence from the team.