Perry says he wouldn't have it any other way. It's a relationship, he says, that has injected childhood zeal at a point in his career where he admits it's a little harder to get up in the morning to go to the gym and to go skate.
"(Griffin) keeps me up to date on what goes on in the League," Perry said, breaking into a big grin. "He's telling me what's going on and all the scores from the night before during the season.
"This is what it's all about: sharing memories. I'm just glad that he loves it just as much as I do. It helps motivate you when you're doing all those offseason workouts, things like that. It keeps you going.
"It helps keep you hungry."
The ultimate goal is being on the ice hoisting the Cup again, this time with Griffin alongside.
Whether that plays out remains to be seen.
For Perry's part, he hopes it happens with the Kings.
He's comfortable living and playing in southern California, having spent the first 14 years of his career (2005-19) with Anaheim. There, Griffin already has a friend in Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, who skates with Corey in London, Ontario, during the offseason.
"We just loved it out there," he said. "The family loves LA."
As for the Kings lineup, Perry is encouraged by the offseason additions of free agent forwards Mats Zuccarello (one year) and Erik Haula (two years) on July 1, and the hiring of Peter Laviolette as coach on June 9.
"I'm stoked to come back," Perry said. "We made some big moves and hopefully it'll lead to more success.
"We're excited to see where it goes. And, like I said, the additions are definitely going to help. And you know, going in there, knowing a lot of the guys already, everybody has that goal at the start of the season. That's to make the playoffs and then the Cup.
"(General manager) Kenny Holland is trying to put a team together to make another run, make another push. I think this team can take that next step. From there, you see how it goes."
The Kings (35-27-20) finished fourth in the Pacific Division and were the second wild card from the Western Conference last season. They were eliminated in four games by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs.
The return of forward Kevin Fiala, who fractured his left leg while representing Switzerland at the Olympic Games in February, and a full season from forward Artemi Panarin, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on Feb. 4, will help the Kings in their quest.
Perry, who has 972 points (465 goals, 507 assists) in 1,464 career games, needs 35 goals to reach the 500 milestone. Just another potential special moment to have Griffin possibly experience.
"I'm still enjoying it all," Perry said. "And it's really special to have him along for the ride."
