Meet the new Blackhawks: What can veteran Corey Perry bring to this young Chicago team?

It’s time to talk about the player at the center of what was arguably the Blackhawks’ most controversial move of the offseason: Corey Perry.

There’s no argument that Perry is one of the most highly decorated players in hockey. In the NHL, Perry has won a Stanley Cup (2007) as well as Rocket Richard and Hart Trophies (2011). He was also dominant on the international stage. With Team Canada, Perry has won gold medals at the 2005 World Junior Championship, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2016 IIHF World Championship, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Despite all this success, though, it wasn't surprising that for his acquisition was met with hostility from Blackhawks fans. Not only do we have a personal vendetta against him due to his actions during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he also has a resumé a mile long filled with dirty, harmful plays against practically every team in the league. While players with rat tendencies are often celebrated within the Blackhawks fandom – Dave Bolland and Andrew Shaw are fan favorites, after all – intentionally targeting opponents to cause injury is never okay, and Perry’s past is filled with incidents which crossed that line. It’s hard to swallow having a villain on your favorite team.

Having said all that, the fact remains that Perry is going to be a Blackhawk next season, so it’s time to make peace with that – as much as we can – and instead focus on what he can bring to the Blackhawks. At 38, Perry obviously isn’t the player he once was, but he still brings a lot of expertise and usefulness to a team who will have at least a few of their highest touted prospects on the roster next season.