Any player hoping to throw Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard off his game next season is going to have to answer to hard-nosed veteran Corey Perry.
"This league's not easy," Perry said Friday during his introductory presser, per the Chicago Tribune's Phillip Thompson. "Coming in at 18 years old, he's gonna have things that he hasn't seen before, playing against men and all these different things.
"That's why you have to do what you have to do, and that's kinda what's kept me in the league."
The Blackhawks acquired Perry's unrestricted free-agent rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning last week in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick and signed him to a one-year, $4-million deal one day later.
Perry, 38, has never been one to shy away from on-ice shenanigans over the course of his 18-year NHL career. Since making his big-league debut in 2005-06, Perry ranks fourth with 1,380 penalty minutes and has racked up 1,209 hits in 1,257 contests.
Though general manager Kyle Davidson was more interested in the mentorship and veteran presence Perry can provide, he acknowledged that an extra layer of protection for Bedard can be a "side benefit."
"Probably a guy you'd hate to play against (but) you'd love to have on your team," Davidson said after trading for Perry. "That's how we hope it'll play out."
Perry won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player in 2011 after netting a career-high 50 goals for the Anaheim Ducks. He's amassed 417 tallies and 883 points over his career.
The Ontario native won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007 and has a penchant for playing hockey in the spring, accruing 124 points in 196 playoff contests.
Perry chipped in with 12 goals and 13 helpers in 81 games this past season, his second in Tampa Bay.
The Blackhawks selected the much-hyped Bedard with the first overall pick at the 2023 NHL Draft and now have a chance to accelerate their rebuild.
Bedard was born on July 17, 2005, just a few months before Perry kicked off his rookie campaign in the NHL.
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