Oilers Veteran Forward Due for Stanley Cup

One key veteran in the Edmonton Oilers lineup is no stranger to the Stanley Cup Final.
Apr 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA;  Edmonton Oilers right wing Corey Perry (90) warms up for game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Apr 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers right wing Corey Perry (90) warms up for game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive season, making it familiar ground for numerous players on their roster. For one key Oilers veteran, however, a trip to the Stanley Cup Final has turned into an annual tradition.

With the Oilers making their way back to the Final, 40-year-old forward Corey Perry is making his fifth Stanley Cup Final appearance in the last six years. Ever since the COVID bubble playoffs in 2020, Perry has missed the Cup Final just one time.

While Perry is entering his fifth Cup Final in the last six years, with four different teams, he is yet to win during this stretch.

Starting in 2020 as a member of the Dallas Stars, Perry lost the Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The next year, Perry joined the Montreal Canadiens, who also lost to the Lightning in the Final.

Heading into 2022, Perry figured the smart move would be to join the Lightning in hopes of a three-peat. Perry and the Lightning got close, but ultimately lost to the Colorado Avalanche.

2023 stands as the only year during this run that Perry did not appear in the Cup Final, as he and the Lightning were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 2024, Perry ended up with the Oilers, where they reached the Cup Final, but fell in seven games to the Florida Panthers.

This year, it’s a Cup Final rematch between the Oilers and Panthers, with Perry still on board, and at this point due for a championship.

Long before this unique run for the veteran forward, Perry won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. In 2007, his second season in the NHL, at the age of 21, Perry helped push the Ducks to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Perry is already a champion but certainly wants another ring to put in his trophy case. He has become no stranger to the Cup Final in recent years but has always found himself on the losing end of things.

The Oilers continue to look like a team of destiny this year, and Perry is looking to etch his name on the Cup for the first time in nearly two decades.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!


Published
Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Nick Horwat is a contributor with Breakaway On SI. He was previously a credentialed reporter for The Hockey News covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A Pittsburgh native, Nick graduated from Point Park University and started reporting on news and sports with KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan. After hosting a Penguins talk radio show in college, he morphed the show into a podcast. The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast has been a leading Penguins podcast since 2019. Follow him on Twitter @NickHorwat41.