Corey Perry to Kings (1yr)

[Bollocks]

Hockey, like any job, takes passion. If that love fades, showing up every day becomes a grind—and it’ll show in your performance. These players put in the work to get to the top, and they should be thankful for the opportunity to play professionally. But staying there takes just as much drive.


Requesting a trade isn't some dramatic betrayal—it’s part of the business. Sometimes a change of scenery is what a player needs to keep that spark alive. Spence did it, and hopefully for him it works out. It’s not about pity—it’s about recognizing that pro athletes are human too. Sure, they’re paid well, but money doesn’t fix burnout or frustration. If it did, nobody would ever ask out.

At the end of the day, it’s still a job, and loving what you do matters—no matter the paycheck.

My point was - the players on the current Kings' team are far from a state where fans could feel pity for. They are free to request a trade whenever they want and if they lose passion for the game, they can retire.

And I think Spence did the right thing if he wasn't satisfied at all with whatever the management/coach told him was going to be his role.


PS: Ahhh, the grind...how many people need to work really hard in order to just get by from month to month in jobs they don't like? Please. As JC6388LAKings mentioned Daigle - he could've retired at 30 and never work a day in his life anymore. But I guess he wanted more money so he went in Switzerland for 4 more years. What a suffering.