As it stands currently, Corey Perry is an unrestricted free agent with no contract, as the Blackhawks have terminated his deal after he cleared waivers last week. With regards to what that means for Perry moving forward this season, we now have a better understanding of his potential timeline.
Perry's 60-day window to file a grievance with the NHLPA comes to a close in the new year, on January 28th. It is likely that he will take as much of this time as possible, allowing the heat on him to die down after the holiday season.
What is interesting, though, is how quickly the turnaround is between the grievance filing deadline, January 28th, and the deadline for Perry to sign a deal if he wants to play in the playoffs, March 8th. This could mean that Perry is actively going through his grievance filing while trying to sign another deal with a different team, a messy situation that might hinder his ability to find his next home.
Either way, if Perry does try and file a grievance, it is at that point more details of the situation that occurred could become public. We will likely have to wait until then for more details on the situation.