Making The Grade…David Perron

Here is the report for arguably our best player this year, our team MVP up until now…David Perron

Making The Grade…David Perron

Team Play : A+

Geez what more can we say about this guy?He goes out every night, gives it 110%, battles for every loose puck and then when he gets it, he doesn’t let go. He’s like the Tasmanian devil of hockey. When Perron steps on the ice, you know he’s going to go out there to do everything he can to score, and do everything to make sure the opponent doesn’t score. He sticks up for himself and sticks up for his team mates. He is a bit of a pest and draws a lot of penalties against him, keeps his feet moving and maintains possession causing his opponents to slash, hook, trip, hold. He has been a great leader for this team so far, he appears active on the bench and leads by example which is pretty evident by the way he plays. He has a great attitude, and his desire to win and strive to always be better is great and is something some of the other players can learn from. He can play any wing and even centre if you want and he plays in every situation possible. Like Hall he is a player that was dearly missed when he was out with a minor injury, he already means a lot to this team and he’s 25 games in, he has made an immediate impact and its going to be great to see him dawn the Oilers colours for a lot longer.

Offence: A+

So far this season, David Perron has played like we thought he would and then some. So far this season he has only gone at most 2 games without a point. He prides himself on his puck possession game and his patience is only second to The Nuge on this team. He is willing to take a hit to make a play, and willing to go to the front of the net and into the dirty areas to create some offence. He seems to have a knack, to slip in and out of coverage and always be in the right place at the right time. He works hard for every goal, and works hard for every assist. I didn’t expect him to be this good, to be just under a PPG pace, he’s on pace to have a career high in points goals and assists. There isn’t anything right now this guy does wrong, he has hands of gold, grittier then most and can shoot the puck. He is never shy to put the puck on net, he averages about 4 shots a game, he is willing to put it anywhere on net to score or to get a rebound. I, as well as others can’t say enough about David Perrons play. Heres to hoping he continues with his pace, and hopefully his play starts to rub off on a few players.

Defence: A+

David Perron was a big benefactor of playing for Ken Hitchcock in that great defensive system in St.Louis. Hitch turned his game right around, turning him into a great two-way forward. He played on a line with Backes and Oshie, two of the best defensive forwards not just on the blues but in the league and learned a lot from them. Its been pretty clear he took everything he learned and has applied it to his game here. He uses his knowledge of being such a puck possession player to his advantage, by using his body, his angles and good stick work to takeaway pucks. He may not be the fastest skater, but he’s certainly one of the hardest working skaters. He sees the ice well, and can read the play exceptionally well in his own zone. He isn’t afraid to take a hit on the boards to make a play to get the puck out, he doesn’t shy away from the physicality in his own zone. He blocks shots and is great and keeping players to the outside, as well as not afraid to put his body on the line to block a shot. He limits his mistakes and has only 9 giveaways in 25 games. He plays the penalty kill well and has been one of the reasons why it has seen so much success lately.

Overall Grade: A+

What hasnt this guy done for this team year? Right now hes making St Louis look rather dumb for trading him, yes it was to make room for the best defenseman in the league that being Alex Pieterangelo. But that being said, im not sure how they just let a guy like him go. I would have thought a team like St Louis would have put up a bigger fight to keep him, but it has been the best move in the last 5 years by far. This guy has been nothing short of spectacular for the Oilers, I have been impressed with his leadership, his grit and his willingness to win, he is something the Oilers have needed for a long and im glad hes here.

If you disagree you must be a crazy person, but feel free to tell me why on twitter @madi39