Craig MacTavish talked about making bold moves when he took over last April as GM of the Oilers. Some fans will tell you that he never made any “bold” moves, but a trade with St. Louis in July certainly caught the eyes of many. That deal sent high draft pick Magnus Paajarvi and a second round pick in 2014 to the Blues for top-six forward David Perron, who became available due to cap reasons.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure they say. In this case, Doug Armstrong’s discarded salary could be Craig MacTavish’s best addition in a busy summer.
We all know Perron is an offensive player and should play in Edmonton’s top six this coming season, but that’s really all most fans know. He’s a good add, but some people have the question, just who is David Perron?
Perron is, at best, what the Oilers could have hoped for from Magnus Paajarvi during his career. He’s a legit NHL top-six winger with a good skill set and good track record.
Perron has an abundance of skill in his game, and that becomes very apparent when you watch him play. He’s extremely creative with the puck and can make you look silly when he gets going. He’s deadly on a breakaway and has some pretty sick dangling ability. The guy knows how to get you out of your seat from time to time.
He’s a good player in open space too, as he has good speed and coordinates well on the fly skill wise. He does things at high speed on the ice, and when you give him space to operate this guy will burn you. Considering he most likely will play with the dynamic Nail Yakupov, he could have a lot of space to work with and kill teams with.
David Perron doesn’t shoot enough, which could be his only true fault as a forward. That being said, when he does shoot he knows how to finish, and scouts say he is a very good finisher. Perron is also decent when moving the puck and has the ability to make a real nice pass. He’s not only a decent finisher, but he’s a pretty good playmaker too. This guy can flat out put up points.
While all those things are appealing, I know what everyone is thinking. We have a lot of players like this, don’t the Oilers need a power-forward? Well Perron has some of those qualities in his game. He isn’t your typical power-forward, and certainly doesn’t fill the role, but he has a lot of good qualities in that regard.
He’s decently sized at 6 ft 0 and 205 pounds, and he plays a decently gritty style. He likes to throw hits, and doesn’t mind using his body once in a while to generate some offense.
That’s a really good skill-set, and it should really fit in with the Oilers current top six forwards. I personally really look forward to seeing him play with Sam Gagner and Nail Yakupov as the season goes along.
Perron does have one big negative that needs to be mentioned, and that is concussions. He suffered a pretty big one during the 2010-11 season, and only played in ten games that season. He missed a chunk of the following season too still recovering from that injury.
He’s only suffered one in his career, and it doesn’t look like it’s a re-occurring issue, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on.
A lot of people will question moving a good young player in Magnus Paajarvi, but Edmonton was able to get a forward that helps them win now and makes them a better team today. This was a good deal by Craig MacTavish, and could turn out to be a steal in the long-term.
Just Who Is David Perron? He could be the missing piece to Edmonton’s top six.
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