What do you get when you mix raw talent with good timing? The answer is Anaheim Ducks right winger Corey Perry. The 24-year-old Ontario native has been with the Ducks for five seasons now and has enjoyed relative success throughout much of his career but has flown under the radar with his team due to consistently good play. As they say, ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’, and until the 2009-10 season, there’s been clear skies in Anaheim.

Perry and the Ducks have been to the playoffs in each of his last four years, and were Stanley Cup champions in 2007. This year Anaheim looks to be taking a step back. With eight games left in the season, the Ducks are 11 points back of a playoff spot and are struggling to outscore their opponents. Perry’s 26 goals and 44 assists has him in the top 30 in the league in goals, assists and points, but aside from Ryan Getzlaf and maybe Bobby Ryan, his teammates have had trouble complementing Perry’s success.

In 360 regular season games, Perry has notched 117 goals and 265 points. He’s added another 16 goals and 35 points in 48 playoff games. In 2004-05 with the London Knights, Perry won the Memorial Cup and was selected as league MVP, Most Outstanding Player, Playoff MVP, First-Team All-Star, and was the leading scorer in the league. He was a member of Team Canada who won gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver last February.

Every star player hits at least bump or two throughout their career, and the 2009-10 season looks like it might be the first of Perry’s career. It’s going to be extremely tough for Anaheim if they want to make the playoffs. If not, Perry will have the first extended summer vacation. It will be a learning experience for him, and he’ll come back next year determined to never allow himself to have so much time off again.