There are a lot of things you can say about Edmonton Oilers right winger Corey Perry.

World-class corrosive influence on the opposition? Certainly. Clutch contributor? Without a doubt. Envelope-pusher? 100 percent correct.

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However, you also have to give Perry credit for being incredibly canny when it comes to picking teams that go far in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Since 2019-20, Perry has been on a Cup finalist an amazing five times – once with the Dallas Stars, once with the Montreal Canadiens, once with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and now twice with the Oilers.

On the other hand, you can argue that Perry has also found a way to pick being on the losing side of each Cup final for five of the past six years. Or you can laugh at these results and consider it a bad thing that he hasn't helped get the job done. But we know plenty of NHLers who’d give their eye teeth to be in the championship series for five of the past six seasons.

At 40 years old, Perry was the NHL’s third-oldest skater this past season, and he made it clear at the beginning of this month that he has no intention of retiring.

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So the question becomes, “Which team does he try to extend his streak of Cup final appearances with?” Will he give the Oilers a vote of confidence and re-sign with them this summer, or will he pinpoint a different team he thinks can take him at least as far as the final and deliver him the second Cup win in what will be a 21-year NHL career?

Surely, there will be teams other than the Oilers who step up and offer Perry more than the $1.15 million he earned in the 2024-25 campaign. Given that longtime NHL star Jonathan Toews just signed a one-year, $2-million deal that has an additional $5 million in bonuses, it’s well within reason that Perry signs somewhere for at least $2 million before any bonus clause kicks in.

Obviously, Perry’s ability to step up and be a difference-maker when games matter most is extremely valuable. He had 10 goals and 14 points in 22 playoff games, including three goals in the final and a game-winner against Dallas in Game 4 to give Edmonton a commanding series lead.

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It’s rather apparent that Perry has no time to waste by just playing out the string and crossing his fingers that a team might win a playoff round or two. Choosing a team bound to go deep in the playoffs will almost assuredly be the key component in where he goes this summer.

Getting the stamp of approval from Perry should make the team he signs with extremely happy. That’s because he’s got the chance to do something special and wind up his soon-to-be Hockey Hall of Fame career by going out on a high note with a Cup win.

You can’t win a Cup if you don’t at least make it to the Cup final, and no one has been more consistent at getting there than Perry. And in the next year, we’ll find out whether his streak of Cup final appearances will continue – and whether he hits the bullseye and wins it all, one final time before he retires.

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