Red Wings Activate David Perron

The Detroit Red Wings announced in advance of their game tonight against the Dallas Stars that they have activated veteran forward David Perron off of injured reserve. Perron has been out since late January after undergoing sports hernia surgery.

Perron joins a Red Wings forward corps that has been dealing with significant injury issues in recent weeks. The team’s top two centers, Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp, are injured, as are Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Michael Rasmussen. Both Larkin and Copp are week-to-week with lower-body injuries, while Rasmussen is set to miss at least a week with an undisclosed injury. Brandsegg-Nygard is out on a day-to-day basis.

While Perron, a natural winger, won’t be able to assist the team down the middle, where much of the injury damage to the lineup has been sustained, his return will nonetheless strengthen the club’s middle-six. The 37-year-old, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline for a conditional fourth-round pick, is beginning his second stint with the Red Wings. He also played for the team in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Perron scored at a healthy pace as a Red Wing, notching 56 points in his first campaign in Michigan and 47 points in his second. He hasn’t been able to reach those heights as a member of the Senators, scoring just 16 points in 43 games last season. This season, he has 25 points in 49 games.

A veteran of over 1,200 NHL games, Perron is likely to take a role somewhere in the middle of Detroit’s forward lineup, and will look to help them secure a playoff spot in a hotly contested Atlantic Division. Detroit is currently 36-23-7, which is good for 79 points and slots them in the conference’s second wild card position. But they are only two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold a game in hand and have been in excellent form since hiring Rick Bowness as head coach.

While the injuries to Detroit’s centers are sure to make more of a difference for the club’s playoff hopes, getting Perron back from injury is nonetheless a step in the right direction in terms of health for a team itching to end a lengthy postseason drought.