Blackhawks GM: Perry will be away for 'foreseeable future,' absence a team decision

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Corey Perry will be away from the team "for the foreseeable future," adding that his absence is a team decision rather than Perry's decision, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope.

The executive wouldn't provide any more details about what's causing Perry's unavailability.

"To start ruling anything out is irresponsible," Davidson said, per NBC Sports Chicago's Charlie Roumeliotis. "So I'm just going to not comment on any possible outcome of this."

Perry's agent, Pat Morris, said Saturday that his client has stepped away from the team "to attend to personal matters," according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Chicago made Perry a healthy scratch against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday due to what head coach Luke Richardson described as "organizational" reasons.

Similar to Davidson, the bench boss said Thursday that the Blackhawks would keep the reason for Perry's absence "internal" for now.

The Blackhawks acquired Perry's negotiation rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick in June. Chicago subsequently inked the 38-year-old to a one-year, $4-million deal.

Perry was performing well in his 19th NHL season prior to his mysterious departure. He racked up four goals and nine points in 16 contests.

Chicago is also playing without Taylor Hall, who is expected to miss the rest of the 2023-24 campaign with a knee injury and will undergo surgery to address the issue on Monday.

Despite two major holes up front without Hall and Perry, Davidson said he isn't in a position to make moves to add to his rebuilding team.

"It's not an easy thing to do, to add on the fly, especially this early in the season," he explained, per Pope. "There are probably other teams that would be far more aggressive than us in trying to add talent. It's not something I'm looking at right now."

Chicago currently sits in last place of the Central Division with a 6-12-0 record. The Blackhawks rallied to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime on Friday.