Lightning Reacquire Corey Perry from Kings

The Tampa Bay Lightning reacquired veteran forward Corey Perry from the Los Angeles Kings on Friday in a trade completed before the NHL deadline, bolstering their playoff push with a familiar face from their recent contending rosters.

In exchange, the Kings received Tampa Bay's second-round draft pick in 2028, while retaining half of Perry's $2 million salary cap hit for the remainder of the season. The 40-year-old Perry, who holds a full no-trade clause in his one-year contract, waived it to facilitate the move. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. Perry had expressed interest in staying with Los Angeles long-term, including a potential extension, but ultimately chose to return to Tampa Bay, where he played the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Perry brings a wealth of postseason experience to the Lightning, who currently lead the Atlantic Division with 80 points and rank second in the Eastern Conference. Over his career, he has appeared in 237 playoff games, the third-most in NHL history, accumulating 64 goals and 141 points, including 12 game-winners. A four-time All-Star and the 2010-11 Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, Perry won the Stanley Cup with...