NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently disclosed that Corey Perry has a pending grievance against the Chicago Blackhawks. During a series of media conferences on Friday announcing the NHL’s participation in the Olympics and a Four Nations Faceoff tournament, there was a lot of talk about the 2018 World Junior investigation, pending charges and a judicial process, expansion, a new arena for the Arizona Coyotes, and the contract termination by Chicago that saw Perry ultimately sign with the Edmonton Oilers.
When asked about the way the Blackhawks handled his contract termination, Bettman said there is a pending grievance, but noted, “I don’t have any problem with what the Blackhawks did.”
Still, some fans in Edmonton are wondering, what happens if Perry files the grievance? Is there a chance he wins, and would that mean the Blackhawks have the option to take the player back, thus making his deal with Edmonton null and void?
Looking Back at the Evander Kane Situation in San Jose
It wasn’t that long ago the Oilers had similar questions about another player. This Perry situation draws parallels to the handling of Evander Kane‘s contract when his deal was terminated by the San Jose Sharks. At the time, there were reports the Sharks could technically take Kane back if it was deemed his termination wasn’t done properly. It would have been precedent-setting, but it was believed to be a possibility.
If the Sharks had been ordered by an arbitrator to pay Kane his full salary, the team could have reinstated his contract, potentially nullifying his deal with the Oilers. However, this was unlikely, given San Jose’s stance on Kane at the time. They didn’t want him and he was happy enough not to be there. Still, the small percentage chance of reverting Kane to the Sharks posed a challenge for Edmonton.
Related: Kane Settlement With Sharks Good and Bad News for Oilers
In the end, multiple reports, including those from Kevin Weekes and Elliotte Friedman, cited the Sharks and Kane agreed to settle their differences. San Jose agreed to pay the gap in salary difference between what they owed Kane and what the Oilers signed him for.
Would Perry’s Situation Work the Same Way?
Although a grievance hasn’t been officially filed, there is some serious money at stake here. Perry signed a $4 million deal with Chicago, but a league-minimum deal in Edmonton. If Perry contends that the Blackhawks lacked proper grounds to terminate his contract, and he chooses to fight it, the Blackhawks may have to pay him the difference between his contract between the Blackhawks and Oilers. If he wins, that’s a likely outcome, unless the two sides settle on some other figure.
But, like in the Kane situation, the Blackhawks don’t want the player back. So too, this is a one-year deal we’re talking about with a prorated salary to boot. It’s not a lot of money, even if the differences in salary between the two teams are substantial.
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All that said, Perry and the NHLPA are merely threatening a grievance. One has not officially been filed. The Collective Bargaining Agreement’s 60-day window and the league and the NHLPA have extended the deadline for Perry to submit his grievance, showing a willingness to address the situation. Could he go back to Chicago? That seems unlikely.
The termination of Perry’s contract came after an “alcohol-fueled incident” at a team function was enough to warrant the Blackhawks not wanting him around. Their stance on this probably won’t change, regardless of what gets decided if things ever reach that point. At best, this becomes a quick settlement between Perry and the Blackhawks, likely not interrupting his position with the Oilers in the slightest.