David Perron hopes to return to the Detroit Red Wings this summer
Business is business, we know that, the players certainly know that, and Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman controls that. That said, veteran winger and alternate captain over the past two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, David Perron, hopes to return for at least another year following a pair of successful seasons. Perron is coming off a 17-goal, 47-point season, which followed a 24-goal, 56-point year with the Red Wings.
Perron, 36, quickly became the vocal leader of the Detroit Red Wings shortly after arriving as an unrestricted free agent two summers ago. Yzerman brought the Stanley Cup Champion in to help change the locker room mentality and establish a winning culture. Prior to his arrival, the Red Wings did lack some veteran leadership, and although he’s a good captain by all accounts, Dylan Larkin is known to be a quiet leader. That’s not a bad thing; the same was said about Yzerman.
Perron tends to be more of that ‘in your face’ no-holds-barred type of leader, which can be effective at times. Remember, it was Perron who addressed the team in late December, stating they were poised to make a run in the new year and garner 18 points in the month of January. Head coach Derek Lalonde, while enjoying Perron’s optimism, was quick to laugh it off. Not only did the Red Wings achieve Perron’s goal, they topped it by securing 20 points in the month of January, only to follow it up with a stellar February, launching themselves into the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference backed by a stout eight-point cushion. Yes, we all know what came next: an epic collapse.
David Perron is hoping to return to the Detroit Red Wings next season.
“Lots of excitement, obviously disappointment. It’s frustrating, the way it ended, with all the comebacks we had to keep our season alive,” said Perron. “I think a lot of the guys in the room never played meaningful games all the way until the end of the season, and you know how hard these seasons are, so it was a big step forward.”
“I think the team wants me back; I want to be back, so let’s see what happens in the next little while,” he said. At the same time, I understand it’s a business. A couple years ago I thought for sure I would stay in St. Louis and it didn’t work out so I opened my eyes to something different, I really enjoyed my time here.”
That said, it is interesting to see that Perron is eager to return to the Red Wings in hopes of building on the team’s success this past season, but it’s going to be complicated, to say the least. Yzerman needs to extend pending restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.
Whether those deals become of the eight-year, max-term variety or a bridge deal remains to be seen. I will say this: you don’t offer bridge deals to franchise-like players because the price will only increase from here. After navigating that situation, Yzerman will need to make a decision on not only Perron but also Patrick Kane. I don’t see the Detroit Red Wings bringing back both veteran wingers, plus accomplishing whatever else Yzerman has on the wishlist this summer and remaining under the salary cap.
The bottom of Detroit’s roster will need to be filled out by players on rookie deals in favor of Patrick Kane, David Perron, Daniel Sprong, Joe Veleno, and Christian Fischer (all unlikely to return). Expect to see at least one or two of the following to earn a roster spot in Detroit this fall Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, and Carter Mazur. Jonatan Berggren is also a pending restricted free agent, and if he and Yzerman can come to an agreement on a new deal, he will expect a spot in Detroit.
Berggren is no longer waiver-exempt. Don’t forget that this past December, there had been murmurs of Berggren rejecting a contract extension presented to him, which followed with a plethora of trade rumors. One thing we’ve learned over the years is that Yzerman is ruthless. If there is any merit to those rumors, don’t be surprised if the Red Wings move in an alternate direction regarding the talented Swedish-born winger.
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