The Atlantic Division arms race continues. After signing Andrew Copp earlier Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings have inked David Perron. The team has officially announced the signing, with Perron getting a two-year contract worth $4.75M per year.
For the first time in his lengthy career, the 34-year-old Perron has signed a contract with someone other than the St. Louis Blues. He’ll join the upstart Detroit squad and offer a plug-and-play offensive dynamo for new head coach Derek Lalonde to deploy. Almost seeming to get better with age, Perron has recorded at least 46 points in each of his last six seasons, including 27 goals and 57 points this year in just 67 games.
Strong on the powerplay and at even strength, he will add even more firepower to a suddenly dangerous-looking Red Wings group, that could be ready to compete for the postseason again.
Importantly, with the deal stretching just two years, general manager Steve Yzerman maintains his cap flexibility, something that has been so important during this Red Wings rebuild. Copp and Ben Chiarot earned long-term deals from the team today but Perron and Dominik Kubalik are only signed through 2023-24, meaning there will be a good amount of money to re-sign young players like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, who will be coming off their entry-level deals.
There is some risk that Perron’s game takes a step backward as he heads into his mid-30s, but unless his offense falls off a cliff immediately, it shouldn’t really pose a problem for the Red Wings. Even after their spending spree this offseason, they have a good amount of cap space left, meaning there is no danger of getting squeezed by an underperforming 30-something.
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