The Ottawa Senators have reportedly signed winger David Perron to a two-year contract worth $4 million each season per Elliotte Friedman. The 36-year-old middle-six forward has been consistently productive points-wise despite his age.
Scoring 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 76 games last season, Perron was fairly productive. He hasn’t scored below 46 points since his 2015-16 season, which speaks to his offensive steadiness in recent years. How can he hold up the rest of the way?
Does Perron Have Any Gas Left?
In 2023-24 with the Detroit Red Wings, Perron’s Microstats were not very good, to say the least. With 36.2 percent of his points coming on the power play, his results at even strength weren’t all that great. He still scored a decent amount outside of the power play and had solid defensive numbers, but it’s still important to know some of his broader impacts—the question of whether or not he can sustain his offensive involvement has to be considered.
Likely because Perron wasn’t the greatest individual contributor to offense, he had his role somewhat reduced. Playing 15:38 of average ice time for the Red Wings last season, that was the second-lowest mark of his career since his 2008-09 campaign with the St. Louis Blues. In a future middle-six role, he might still have some gas left in the tank.
Related: 2024 Free Agency Tracker
At this stage, Perron seems like a decent third-line player who could be useful on the man advantage. As a veteran leader and a worthwhile contributor to the Stanley Cup champion Blues in 2019, he has the experience required to make a difference aside from his on-ice play.
Fit with Ottawa
The Senators are a difficult team to gauge right now. Shane Pinto is in trade rumors, Jakob Chychrun was dealt for Nick Jensen and a third-round draft pick on July 1, and they might have something else up their sleeve aside from those two things. At this very moment, however, the Senators seemingly have a good top-nine forward core. Perron gives them an extra scoring element if necessary, which could help them clinch the playoffs for the first time since their 2016-17 campaign.
Perron likely won’t get a steep workload, but that might be what’s best for him. Having a younger group of star players, Perron can also be useful in a leadership role. This probably isn’t the flashy signing that Ottawa fans might have liked, but it gives them another strong forward.
