Oilers GM Ken Holland discloses extensive due diligence before signing Corey Perry after his controversial exit from Chicago

The Edmonton Oilers GM, Ken Holland, did some homework before announcing veteran Corey Perry as the newest member of the club roster on Monday.

The Oilers signed Perry, 38, to a one-year, $775,000 contract. According to CapFriendly, the contract also includes $325,000 in performance bonuses.

After much speculation and rumors, Corey Perry finally found his new home in the NHL. This comes two months after the Chicago Blackhawks terminated his contract due to his "unacceptable" behavior.

During the press conference on Monday, GM Ken Holland revealed that he conducted extensive due diligence on Perry's background, performance, and many potential concerns before signing him (quoted by NHL.com):

“When Chicago terminated his contract earlier this year, at some point in time after that I reached out to his agent Pat Morris to find out what was going on. And over the course of the last few weeks, I've done due diligence to get to this point.

Holland added:

I’ve talked to [NHL Deputy Commissioner] Bill Daly. At Corey's request, he reached out to Commissioner Gary Bettman and Bill Daly and Corey and he and his agent went and met with them in person so that Corey could tell Commissioner Bettman and Bill Daly why his contract was terminated in Chicago.

I have talked to Bill Daly. I've talked to Kyle Davidson, the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. We've talked to other people who know Corey and talked internally."

Corey Perry expressed his excitement to be part of the Edmonton Oilers organization and told the reporters that a number of teams tried to get him on board following his stint with the Blackhawks.

Although there is no definite timeline for his debut with the Oilers, reports suggest it could come as early as Saturday, when Edmonton takes on Nashville.

Corey Perry expresses excitement about playing for the Edmonton Oilers

Chicago Blackhawks v Vegas Golden Knights

Core Perry is an experienced player with 19 seasons under his belt. He's played for multiple teams during that time and also won the only Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

Edmonton marks the sixth team for Perry during his career, and he's excited to be part of the club and play in front of its fan base, which Perry admires.

"On the hockey side, I'm excited to be here. This is a passionate fan base. It's an exciting town, an exciting time for the Oilers organization. I mean, you look around that room and you got some pretty tremendous players in Connor, Leon, Darnell, and the list just keeps going on. So like I said, I got to say thank you to the Oilers organization"

Before his contract was terminated by the Hawks, Perry notched up nine points through four goals and five assists in 16 games. It'll be intriguing to see what role the veteran plays with Edmonton, which is flying high with a 13-game winning streak.