Drawing any kind of conclusion from preseason hockey is a dangerous and foolish game, but that doesn’t mean that we should ignore it completely. Case in point: Corey Perry looks like a player who still has more than a little bit to give.

Having lost two straight Stanley Cup Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Perry decided to join the evil empire this offseason in an attempt to reverse his own fortunes. If his work through training camp and preseason action is any indication, calling him ‘motivated’ would be an understatement. He’s been everywhere for the Bolts since training camp started, both in the lineup and on the ice. He’s seen time with lesser names. He’s seen time with Steven Stamkos. He’s stuck up for teammates. He’s scored four goals. While it would have been easy for a veteran player like Perry to coast through training camp and preseason, Perry is playing like a guy who has something to prove.

The good news for the player is that the Lightning should provide him with every opportunity to prove whatever that is. Thanks to salary cap woes that saw the team’s entire third line gutted, there is plenty of opportunity for Perry to get meaningful ice time. It’s strange to think that he’ll likely see higher-value minutes on the back-to-back champion Lightning than he did in Montreal last year, but everything right now points to that being the case.

If Perry can be the player who is scoring goals and irritating opponents – as we’ve seen in this preseason, specifically against the Florida Panthers – that won’t be a problem for Tampa Bay. If father time catches up to him, though, and the offensive touch fades as an 82-game campaign chugs along, the Lightning will start to miss that Yanni Gourde in a serious way. Simply put, there’s a lot riding on Perry being able to contribute as an anchor in the team's bottom-six.

So, with all that in mind, what are you expecting from Perry this season? For context, he was playing at a 15-goal, 35-point pace last year with the Canadiens.

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