The Detroit Red Wings were busier than usual at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, which isn’t saying much. They traded away Elmer Soderblom for a 2026 third round pick, landed a big fish in Justin Faulk for a first round pick and some extra pieces, and they traded for David Perron which cost them a 2026 fourth round pick.
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While Perron was more of a depth addition than a difference maker, early returns have been underwhelming to say the least. His production has cratered and his on-ice metrics have dipped significantly from the bulk of his season spent with the Ottawa Senators to now.
However, I don’t think he deserves full blame as the coaching staff’s deployment of him has been a bit messy. Let’s take a look at Perron’s second stint with the Red Wings so far and what can be done in the final few games of the season to maximize his impact.
Start with the Senators
In 49 games with the Senators this season, Perron scored 25 points, putting him on a respectable 41 point pace. His advanced metrics looked quite positive as well, with a Corsi For Percentage (CF% is the shot attempts for divided by the shot attempts against while a player is on the ice) of 53.22% and an Expected Goals Percentage (xG%) of 59.57% (stats via. Natural Stat Trick).
He wasn’t a highly impactful player, earning an average of 13:26 of ice time for Ottawa, but he was successful in those minutes. The Senators have six forwards above 40 points so far this season, so having someone like Perron pitching in like he was while playing in the bottom six was a luxury that Ottawa figured they could live without.
Downfall With Detroit
So far through 12 games back with the Red Wings, Perron has scored one lone point, has a CF% of 47.64 and an xG% of 54.21. Those numbers indicate that he is sinking in his minutes, and being outscored eight to four at 5-on-5 is another way of saying the same thing. He hasn’t had any significant change to his ice time, but his role has changed for the worse since joining Detroit.
What Happened After His Trade?
Perron was playing a pretty sheltered role in Ottawa, starting 69% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, the highest marks of his long career. He was being asked to be an offensive contributor with good playmaking off the wall and a bit of an edge. That was the perfect role for Perron at this stage of his career, a secondary scoring threat to add a bit of depth to the Senators’ lineup.
So far in Perron’s second stint with Detroit, he is beginning around 45% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, one of the lowest marks of his career. Perron is starting far more of his shifts in the defensive zone with the Red Wings than he did all season in Ottawa and his results are suffering as a result.
Perron isn’t a shutdown winger at this stage of his career, and the Red Wings are asking him to be just that. He is best used as a bottom six winger who can produce some offense and play at best break-even defense when needed. Perron is a good piece for a second powerplay unit, but the last thing Detroit needs right now is another bottom-six forward who “could” score in the right circumstances. Michael Rasmussen, Mason Appleton and James Van Riemsdyk already fill that spot.
The Red Wings needed to get play drivers for this stretch drive, and their inability to score consistently at even strength was not addressed at all. I know that David Perron wasn’t added with the intention of him fixing the team’s offense, but it’s hard to imagine why he was added at all. Perhaps I’d be singing a different tune if he had kept up the same scoring pace and had six points so far in Detroit rather than the one, but that’s not the world we live in.
I understand why the Red Wings went to this well. Perron scored 103 points across two seasons with Detroit very recently, and would be familiar with the city, the team, and many of the teammates. In the end, this trade is looking like an empty attempt at adding veteran presence and leadership to a team that really just needs goals.
