BREAKING: Penguins Acquire David Perron from Oilers
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired left winger David Perron from the Edmonton Oilers earlier today for a 2015 first round draft pick and Rob Klinkhammer according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. Perron will jump into the Penguins’ top six forward corps as it tries to piece together a set of wingers after being hit with injury and illness issues this season.
For the Penguins, it’s easy to like this deal. They get a three-time 20-goal scorer who tallied a career high 57 points with Edmonton last season. He’s 26-years old and is locked up through next season on a very manageable $3,812,500 cap hit. Whether they pair him with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins top-six forward group just added a significant piece as they cling to the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Sure, the Penguins already boast the 6th best offense in the league, but when you can add another proven goal-scorer at what will likely amount to a late first round draft pick, it’s a no-brainer. No one ever complained about having too much firepower up front.
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For the Oilers, it’s also a trade that makes sense for them. Yes, they lose out on goal-scoring winger who they still had control over for one more season. But what is the likelihood he would have re-signed in Edmonton after next season? By moving Perron now well before the deadline they grab an extra first round draft pick in a deep draft as they set themselves to begin rebuilding the rebuild (I believe this is year 9 of a 5 year project). It’s not likely Edmonton would be any good next year even with Perron, so why not try and sell high now and start re-shaping the roster? If you recall back to last year’s trade deadline, Thomas Vanek, Matt Moulson, and Marian Gaborik didn’t net any first round picks in return (yes, they were all rentals, which is a little different here), so there was no guarantee that by waiting patiently would have yielded a better return.
Of course we don’t know if there was something more here beyond the hockey trade. Could it be Perron requested out after living the dysfunction of the Edmonton Oilers the past 18 months? Perhaps. Regardless, he’s a Penguin now and the Metropolitan Division just got a little tougher.
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After firing its coach recently, it was only a matter of time before pieces started being moved in Edmonton. Perron is the first domino to fall. The big question is: who will be next? Will Taylor Hall be shown the door? Does Nail Yakupov go complete bust and get moved? Do the goalies have any trade value for teams in the market for a backup?
All are legitimate questions and if someone other than Craig MacTavish was calling the shots, I’d feel more comfortable if I were an Oilers’ fan (you know, the guy who signed Benoit Pouliot to a five-year deal). Of course if Edmonton were to move anyone else on the roster it’d most likely be for future assets which will have the double effect of ensuring they will stay at the bottom of the standings and also helping them inch closer to landing Connor McDavid. Because if there’s anything the Oilers have taught us over the years is that an abundance of top-five picks guarantees success.
For now though, Pittsburgh landing Perron is a coup for them as they gear up for another playoff run. As for Edmonton, trading Perron is the first of many dominoes that should be moved as the franchise attempts again to build a winner.