‘It feels like home’: Corey Perry settling in nicely during return to Tampa Bay

Any NHL player who gets traded in the middle of a season will tell you that assimilating into a new team takes time.

Or at least, that’s usually the case.

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s newest addition to the locker room—although not entirely new—hasn’t skipped a beat. Veteran forward Corey Perry scored in each of his first two games with the team during last weekend’s back to back.

Perry, who spent two seasons with the team from 2021 to 2023 and helped the Lightning reach the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, is happy to be back.

“It’s exciting. It feels like home coming back into this room,” the 40-year-old forward said from the Lightning locker room on Tuesday morning. “(There’s) a lot of familiar faces, and it’s been a good start.”

Perry, who was acquired before last Friday’s trade deadline in exchange for a 2028 second-round draft pick, hasn’t waited to contribute. Perry became the third player in franchise history to score in their first two games with the Bolts after being acquired in a trade, joining Anthony Duclair in 2024 and Chris Joseph in 1993.

“To have that chance (to win),” he said of why he accepted the trade to reunite with Tampa Bay. “There’s unfinished business from when I left. It’s an exciting team and good to be a part of it.”

Despite starting the season with the Los Angeles Kings, Perry said the transition back to being a Bolt has been an easy one.

“I don’t know, just being comfortable I guess,” Perry said of finding the scoresheet immediately in his return. “It’s not easy coming in midway through a season, but I’m super comfortable around the group and just excited.”

The veteran of more than 1,400 NHL games and 965 points has scored 13 goals and 30 points over 53 games this season, his 21st in the league.

Lightning fans also got to see the physical forward fight on Sunday, his second game back with the franchise.

“He’s been great for us so far. Just his demeanor on the bench, his play on the ice,” coach Jon Cooper said. “He’s got a knack for the net. You put him around there, usually he’s gonna tap it in. It’s been good for him.”

Perry saw time on the team’s second power-play unit in Tuesday’s game against Columbus. As Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said, the locker room has already been ignited by Perry’s addition.

“It's amazing,” forward Zemgus Girgensons said of becoming teammates with Perry. “He’s an amazing player, a great guy. It’s nice to get to know him, and he brings a lot to our team. Good addition.”

Longtime Bolt Brayden Point was here for Perry’s first stint with the team. He applauded the move to bring back a player who can score while also elevating the compete level of every teammate he meets.

“He adds some offense for sure. You’ve seen already he’s got two goals here with us, and just that leadership,” Point said of what Perry brings to the team. "He’s obviously played a ton of games and been in some big moments. He’s gonna be a guy we need to lean on in the future."

Perry played in the previous two Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the Edmonton Oilers and has reached the Cup Final six times. He won the penultimate NHL award in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks.

And yet, his hunger hasn’t faded.

Even in year 21, his sole goal is to win the Stanley Cup as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I don’t know any different than having that passion and wanting to win,” Perry said. “That’s why you grow up as a kid is having that chance and being a part of something. That’s what it’s all about.”