Corey Perry: Bonafide first round pick

Entering this season, Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry had an O-Rank on Yahoo! Sports of 43. Thirty three other forwards ranked higher than the power forward including but not limited to Vincent Lecavalier, John Tavares, Patrick Marleau, Jason Spezza, Marian Gaborik, etc.  We think you get the point.

The strangest part about this ranking seemed to be that he was a first round pick the year before despite posting four less points.  Yes, Perry actually increased his point totals and fell back in the rankings.  We could theorize why exactly his rank slid so much:  Perhaps it was his five less goals or four less powerplay goals; maybe the ranking gods weighted the team he plays for a bit too heavily.

However, when looking at his team it becomes clear that they rely heavily on his and other offensive stars’ production to stay afloat.  Normally this reliance would be an issue, perhaps even a liability but Perry has never disappointed in his fantasy career. The 25-year-old has three straight seasons of 100+ PIM while hovering around 30 goals each season.

Right now Perry is on pace for 87 points and coming near 40 goals while eclipsing 100 PIM once again. He is a big reason the Ducks are fourth in the Western Conference as he has 23 points in 16 wins and perhaps most impressively seven points in the last two minutes of the game. He has held off critics with a plus-7 rating after finishing last season with a worrisome even.

In addition, his job security remains to be one of the highest in the League.  Even when head coach Randy Carlyle tinkers with lines it usually moves left wing Bobby Ryan around opposed to separating Perry from longtime linemate Ryan Getzlaf.  Together, the duo combine for a lethal combination of size, grit and talent and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Perry continues to be a model of stability in an incredibly unstable sport.  Somehow he managed to slip through quality control and is a top-five fantasy talent for his savvy owners— exactly 22.4 percent of the top 500 Yahoo! leagues which seems to be no coincidence.

Next season there is absolutely no chance this mistake will happen again.  Nevertheless, a player like Chris Stewart or Milan Lucic could drop similarly so remember to do your due diligence.