The Dallas Stars have moved to patch a forward group that’s been thinned out by injuries, and their latest addition comes with a long track record and a familiar pattern of stops and returns. David Perron signed a one-year deal worth $850,000 AAV, a move that became official this morning after rumors surfaced last night.
Perron is entering his 20th NHL season, and Dallas will be the eighth team on his resume. The signing comes as the Stars try to absorb the loss of Matt Duchene, who is on Long-Term Injured Reserve, while also dealing with a bottom-six group that has not held up the way it has in recent years.
Drafted 26th overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2007, Perron’s NHL journey has been anything but linear.
He began his career with the Blues right away, skating in 62 games and posting 13 goals and 27 points in his first season. Over the next five seasons in St.
Louis, he played 278 games and totaled 71 goals, 100 assists and 171 points, while averaging 16:31 of ice time per game.
From there, he bounced around the league: first to the Edmonton Oilers, then to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and later to the Anaheim Ducks after a trade from Pittsburgh. He returned to St. Louis for the 2026-17 season and made a full-season impact, playing all 82 games and finishing with 18 goals and 46 points.
That stay didn’t last long. Perron moved on to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, then found himself back in St.
Louis the following season. That was the year the Blues won the Stanley Cup, and Perron remained there for three more seasons before heading to the Detroit Red Wings.
He spent two seasons in Detroit, then signed with the Ottawa Senators before being traded back to the Red Wings midway through his second season there. It’s a career that has seen Perron circle back to former teams more than once, a reflection of how valued he’s been in different front offices.
For Dallas, the appeal is straightforward. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are both in their mid- to late-30s and no longer providing the same level of production they once did, and the club’s lower lines have taken a hit. Perron isn’t young himself, but he still brings the kind of depth scoring that can matter over a season, with production in the neighborhood of 15 goals and roughly 30 points.
In a Central Division that remains tight, the Stars are still being treated as one of the teams with Stanley Cup upside. Adding Perron gives them another experienced forward to lean on, plus the kind of personality that can help lighten the room.
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What stood out after the collapse was how familiar it looked. The Blues were again hurt by odd-man rushes and had trouble sorting out their own end once Minnesota found a rhythm, leaving Joel Hofer to face too much traffic and too many quality looks. Hofer made 33 saves on 38 shots, but the late breakdowns were the bigger issue, and they left St. Louis with a loss that felt avoidable long before the final horn. [Read more 🡒]
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Blues Trade Is Already Creating A Debate St. Louis Fans Will Love
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Of course, it is still early enough for the picture to change, and that is what makes this such an easy debate to revisit. McMichaels production has made the move look smart so far, but Kyrou has time to settle in with the Capitals and remind everyone why he was such a big piece of the deal in the first place. For now, though, Blues fans have reason to feel pretty good about how this one is playing out. [Read more 🡒]