David Perron and the St. Louis Blues just can’t quit each other. First, they drafted him 26th overall in 2007. Then they signed him as a UFA July 1, 2016. Now, a year after losing him to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, they get Perron back for a third tour with the Blues. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Perron is set to rejoin them on a four-year, $16-million deal with a $4-million AAV. He’ll commence his eighth season as a Blue this October.
Perron bring veteran stability to what may be a young Blues forward group this year as prospects Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Klim Kostin try to ascend and join Tage Thompson in the NHL. Perron is fresh off the best season of his career, in which he amassed 15 goals and 66 points in 70 games with the Golden Knights, spending most of his minutes on a line with Erik Haula and James Neal. He had a positive influence in shot attempts, as both players had a better Corsi with Perron than without.
The Perron signing may disappoint Blues fans hoping for a bigger fish such as John Tavares or a trade for someone such as Max Pacioretty. But Perron brings reliable, proven scoring to a team that ranked 24th in offense last year. There was too much pressure on Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz to carry the team’s scoring. Perron is a handy piece who can play either wing and slot anywhere from the first to the third line, and his $4-million AAV is quite reasonable given he averaged close to a point per game last season.
