The Chicago Blackhawks are parting ways with veteran forward Corey Perry, who has not been with the team since last week. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks announced they were putting Perry on waivers with the intention of terminating his contract due to “unacceptable” conduct.
Perry, who signed a one-year deal with Chicago in the offseason, will now go through the waiver process. If he goes unclaimed, the Blackhawks will release him and Perry will become a free agent.
“After an internal investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks have determined that Corey Perry has engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation both of the terms of his Standard Player’s Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments,” the team said in a statement. “As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately.”
This decision by the team ends an odd saga that has lasted since Perry was a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 22. Perry wasn’t at practice the next day and hasn’t been with the team at all since then.
On Saturday, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson announced that Perry would be stepping away from the team for the “foreseeable future.” Davidson also noted that the franchise chose to initiate the separation.
However, a statement from Perry’s camp seemed to contradict the idea that it was the Blackhawks’ decision. Pat Morris, Perry’s agent, released a statement saying Perry was taking time away from the team to deal with “personal matters.”
Perry played just 16 games with the Blackhawks, tallying four goals and nine points in that time. Now, Perry’s NHL career could be in jeopardy after 19 years and 1,273 career games.
