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Corey Perry to Maple Leafs?

Could the troubled veteran forward find a new home in short order?

HockeyFeed

HockeyFeed

It's been one of the more bizarre stories in recent memory, as the Chicago Blackhawks waived veteran forward Corey Perry for the purpose of terminating his contract late last month after an undisclosed incident involving a team employee took place. 

Perry has since offered an apology and stated that he's seeking help from mental health and alcohol abuse specialists. He also went unclaimed on waivers, meaning that his contract was terminated by Chicago and that he's now a free agent, free to sign with any team. 

Could the Toronto Maple Leafs come calling? 

During a recent episode of Leafs Morning Take, hosts Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill speculated on just what Perry could bring to the Leafs if general manager Brad Treliving decided to take a flyer on him. 

"I would have to agree [about signing Perry], man, especially if you're going to scoop him up for league minimum. His career just took a wild turn," Rosehill said. "It's not my business what he does with people or conduct, as long as it's not illegal, you know, whether he cheats on his wife or does this, I'm talking about hockey here. That's no good, of course, it's frowned upon but if it wasn't the Chicago Blackhawks handling that situation, I don't think he'd be off the team right now, I'd think it would be a sit down." 

So, why would Perry make an ideal in-season fit for the Leafs in Rosehill's mind? 

"I would interested in Corey Perry," he said. "He brings a lot to the table. We're talking hockey here. He can help the Toronto Maple Leafs, you can get him for cheap, he has a ton of experience, and he plays a way that all these guys need to learn and I would be super interested in him, but like you said, I doubt that is going to happen for the off-ice reasons." 

According to Alberga, signing Perry would also give the Leafs the chance to potentially part ways with enforcer Ryan Reaves. 

"You can pull him (Ryan Reaves) in and out like we talked about, that's an option for sure," he said. "Especially when you're getting him for so cheap, I think someone's going to sign him, but I don't think he's going to have 3 million dollar offers coming to him by any stretch of the imagination. I think you could scoop him for close to league minimum. He's going to wanna repair his image and repair the way people look and think about him now after this scandal if you wanna call it that." 

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