Corey Perry to remain away from Chicago Blackhawks for foreseeable future due to personal reasons

Pat Morris of Newport, the agency that represents Chicago Blackhawks winger Corey Perry, has announced that Perry is away from the team due to personal reasons.

Statement from Pat Morris of Newport, who represents Corey Perry: pic.twitter.com/AnlCmKglaT

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 25, 2023

Morris revealed the information via a statement released Saturday afternoon:

“Corey Perry has stepped away from the Chicago Blackhawks to attend to personal matters. Corey and his family appreciate privacy at this time.”

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson mentioned earlier on Saturday that Perry would be away from the team for the foreseeable future. Davidson also mentioned that the decision was the team’s and not Perry’s, but otherwise provided no additional details.

Perry, 38, has been absent from the team since Wednesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and hasn’t attended any practices or games since then. The team had been very tight-lipped on the situation, with very few details surfacing until Saturday.

Perry was off to a solid start to the season before stepping away, with four goals and five assists for nine points in 16 games with the Blackhawks. That had him on pace for 46 points in a full 82-game season, which would be the most productive season of his career since 2017-18.

Perry was the 28th overall pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2003 NHL Draft, and spent 14 seasons with the team, winning a Stanley Cup in 2007 and a Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy in 2011, before he was bought out in 2019. He’s since travelled around a bit with the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning before he joined the Blackhawks this season.

Perry is currently on a one-year, $4 million contract, one he signed in the 2023 offseason with the Blackhawks shortly before free agency after they acquired his signing rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2024 seventh-round pick.

The Blackhawks snapped a five-game losing streak on Friday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will look to build on that win on Sunday when they host the St. Louis Blues at 2 p.m. EST. They currently sit in second-last in the league with a 6-12-0 record.