David Perron returning to the St. Louis Blues on a two-year, $7.5 million contract was quite the surprise. After the Blues traded Perron away to the Edmonton Oilers in 2013 in a deal which brought Magnus Paajarvi to St. Louis (a momentous day for Ken Hitchcock), it looked like the end of Perron’s time under Hitchcock and the Blues. Now that he’s back, Perron opened up about playing under Hitchcock and missing skating in St. Louis.
Perron’s comments, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
“It would have been a dream to play (in Montreal), but St. Louis is really a place that’s close to my heart. I really missed playing in the city and I wanted to get another shot and hopefully make the best of it this time.
I think what I was really happy about is how much ‘Hitch’ pushed to get me. With all the rumors that were out there, it just kind of proves that everyone was wrong, and I’m happy about that.”
Whenever a player signs with a new team, or even returns to an old team, you expect the type of statement Perron gave by saying he missed the city and wants a second chance. That being said, Perron’s comments have a bit more honesty in them as seen by him immediately addressing the idea of skating back in his hometown and the rumored rift with Hitchcock. Some fans may be skeptical, but Perron sounds pretty genuine.
The Blues have stated they thought Perron could be a more valuable skater if his game matured, specifically when the opposition has the puck. In other words, the Blues believed that Perron’s game would take on more of a two-way mentality as he aged. At 28, Perron has more NHL experience and has hopefully transformed into more of a complete player since he last wore a Blues sweater.
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