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NHL Free Agency 2018: St. Louis Blues to sign David Perron

By Dave Stevenson |
LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 30: James Neal #18 (L) of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates his goal with teammate David Perron #57 during Game Two of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Washington Capitals at T-Mobile Arena on May 30, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 30: James Neal #18 (L) of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates his goal with teammate David Perron #57 during Game Two of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Washington Capitals at T-Mobile Arena on May 30, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

The St. Louis Blues and David Perron will reportedly agree to a four-year deal once NHL Free Agency starts

The St. Louis Blues are coming off a disappointing season. They lost forward David Perron to the Vegas Golden Knights last offseason and they could never really replace him. So the Blues have reportedly decided to bring him back once NHL free agency officially starts at 12:00 noon ET on July 1. The deal is reportedly for four years and will be worth $4 million annually.

At 30 years old, Perron still has a ton of value. He’s a consistent top-six forward who can produce at a nice rate. Perron posted 66 points in 70 games last season for the Knights, a career-high for him. This will be his third tenure with the Blues, so both sides clearly know each other.

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$4 million annually is very reasonable for someone like Perron. He’s as reliable as they come and while he won’t dazzle you with his numbers, his numbers are usually pretty good. You can pencil him in for about 40 points every year, which is harder to do than many people think.

The Blues didn’t have too much cap space, so getting Perron to sign for just $4 million is a huge bonus. Four years is probably one year too long, but the extra year probably kept his cap hit reasonable. That’s a pretty good tradeoff. The Blues are likely getting at least three good years from Perron and potentially a fourth.

Perron spent his first six years with the Blues before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in July of 2013. He later got traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then the Anaheim Ducks. Perron later signed with the Blues again in the summer of 2016 before the Knights took him in the expansion draft last summer.

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This is a great deal for both sides. They clearly like each other a lot. Otherwise, why would Perron keep find his way back to the Blues?

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