When the St. Louis Blues announced in July that they signed forward David Perron for not the first, not the second, but the third time; Blues fans thought they’d already been there and done that. 34 games into the season, it is safe to say that the third time could be the charm for Perron if he keeps playing like he is right now.
This Season
This is the best David Perron the Blues have ever had. This season, Perron has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 34 games for the Blues. He is second on the team in both goals and points, behind centre Ryan O’Reilly who has 14 goals and 33 points. He is fourth on the team in assists, behind O’Reilly (19), centre Brayden Schenn (15), and defenseman Vince Dunn (13). While one has to take into account that the Blues have been battling injuries to forwards all season, it is still impressive that Perron has managed to outplay almost everyone, especially Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 35 games. As of right now, Perron has only one more goal than Tarasenko. However, if they keep playing like they have been the last few games, Perron could finish with more points than Tarasenko, which is a scary thought.
Granted, the Blues are not playing well this season. After 35 games, the Blues are 15-16-4 with 34 points. They are currently seven points out of the second Wild Card spot and 10 points out of third place in the Central Division. Blues forwards are streaky and Blues defensemen are not playing their best hockey. Regardless of the circumstances, Perron still deserves to be recognized for how hard he is working on the ice this season. He shows up almost every night and he is excited to be back for the third time. You can tell by the way he plays. His hard work is paying off for him and hopefully it will start paying off for the Blues as well.
David Perron’s Career
Perron has played in 756 total NHL games and has 187 goals and 280 assists for 467 points. He has played in 57 playoff games and has four goals and 19 assists for 23 points.
David Perron’s First Time in St. Louis
The Blues drafted David Perron 26th overall in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft. He spent six seasons in St. Louis and spent most of his time on The Kid Line with forwards Patrik Berglund and T.J. Oshie. In 340 games with the Blues from 2007-2013, Perron had 84 goals and 114 assists for 198 points. He also helped the Blues to the playoffs in three out of the six seasons he played for them during this time.
However, he was notoriously worse in the playoffs than in the regular season. In 19 playoff games with the Blues during this time, Perron had two goals and seven assists for nine points. Perron played OK for the Blues his first time there, but the Blues needed better if they wanted to make a deep playoff run.
David Perron in Edmonton
The Blues traded Perron to the Edmonton Oilers before the start of the 2013-14 season. In 116 games with the Oilers, Perron had 33 goals and 43 assists for 76 points. Much like his first time in St. Louis, he played OK, but Edmonton wanted someone who could at least be a point-per-game player.
David Perron in Pittsburgh
Partway through the 2014-15 season, the Oilers traded Perron to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Perron played 86 games for the Penguins over two seasons and had 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points.
Perron helped the Penguins to the playoffs in 2014-15. In five playoff games, he had one assist. Just because you’re on the same team as some of the greatest superstars in the NHL does not mean you will become a superstar, just ask Perron. As points go, Perron played the worst for the Penguins.
David Perron in Anaheim
The Penguins traded Perron to the Anaheim Ducks partway through the 2015-16 season. In 28 games with the Ducks, Perron had eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points.
Perron helped the Ducks to the playoffs in 2015-16. In seven playoff games with the Ducks, Perron had one goal and two assists for three points. Perron’s time in Anaheim was one of the most impressive points in his career up until this point. It only made sense after this for his old team, the St. Louis Blues to pick him up again.
David Perron’s Second Time in St. Louis
The Blues signed Perron as a free agent before the start of the 2015-16 season. He was even less impressive the second time around than the first, which is a big reason why Blues fans thought he would be even worse the third time around. In 82 games with the Blues, Perron had 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points. He had one point in 11 playoff games that season. While he played OK in the regular season just like his first time around, he was barely noticeable in the playoffs. The Blues left him unprotected in the expansion draft.
The Best Season of David Perron’s Career
Last season, the Vegas Golden Knights selected Perron in the NHL Expansion Draft. He had the best regular season and post-season of his career. In 70 games, Perron had 16 goals and 50 assists for 66 points. He also helped the Golden Knights get to the Stanley Cup Finals. In 15 playoff games, he had one goal and eight assists for nine points. It is important to note that Perron was a healthy scratch in five playoff games. But when he was given the chance to play, he showed up.
It should not be a surprise that Perron is second on the team in goals and points this season after the best season of his career last year in Vegas, but it is to Blues fans who watched him not live up to his potential before he went to Vegas. Blues fans knew that he could score 60+ points a season, but he failed to do so in St. Louis, which made Blues fans dread him coming back to town to disappoint them again. But he has done just the opposite.
Looking Forward
David Perron isn’t on pace for the best season of his career. However, he is on pace for his best season as a St. Louis Blue. If someone would have told that to Blues fans when the Blues signed him as a free agent over the off-season, they wouldn’t have believed it. If the Blues even want to dream about making the playoffs, they will need Perron to keep it up and step it up if he can.
The real test for Perron will be if he shows up in the playoffs for the Blues. He is known to have decent regular seasons but disappear in the playoffs. If he can be close to a point-per-game player in the playoffs, the third time could be the charm for David Perron.
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