The New Jersey Devils are officially in offseason mode. Over the next few days, we will look at 20 potential free agents they could look at signing. Today, we look at the Vegas Golden Knights David Perron.
The New Jersey Devils could really use a middle-six forward who can contribute on the scoreboard. There are plenty of options from various degrees of future cash considerations. There are the high-upside players like Nail Yakupov. There’s the veterans looking to make another impact late in their careers like Joe Thornton. Of course, there are big money players like Evander Kane and James van Riemsdyk.
Then there’s David Perron.
Perron isn’t the name many think of when talking about big-name free agents, but look at his stats this season. While it’s easy to chalk the Vegas Golden Knights as a one-season fluke, it’s hard to scoff at his numbers. He scored 16 goals and 50 assists in just 70 games. For those away from their calculator, that’s 77 points over an 82 game season.
Only six left wings in the entire league had more assists than Perron, and all of them played more games. A lot of Perron’s numbers are career highs, but not by much. He acquired 57 points in 2014. That same season, he scored 28 goals. This is the third time he’s broken 50 points.
Perron’s biggest issue is consistency. In 11 seasons in the NHL, this is the first time he scored 100 points over two seasons. That could be a sign of things to come, or the real anomaly. Either way, he should be considered by the Devils.
His big issue is playing left wing. The Devils already have Taylor Hall, Marcus Johansson and Miles Wood on the roster. There’s not a real need for Perron on this roster, especially if Pavel Zacha and/or Mike McLeod moves from center.
Even if there’s not a spot on paper, one can be made if the match is too good to be true. So, how much is Perron worth?
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Perron is making $3.75 million this season. He’s currently still on the run to the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights. It’s likely that he will get a nice bump from his season, but how nice?
I can actually see Perron sign a contract similar to the one the Devils signed Michael Cammalleri in 2014. He’s going to try and cash out for one big contract. He’s 29 years old, so this is his last chance. Especially if he gets the chance to play on the biggest stage in hockey and makes the Stanley Cup Finals, teams will be willing to pay big for Perron’s services. Even though he hasn’t been the biggest contributor this postseason, his assist numbers are still up despite going scoreless.
I can’t see the Devils being one of those teams. The price and term do not fit for a position the Devils don’t really need. Some team is going to take a big chance on Perron for around $4.5 to $5 million per season. That’s too rich for New Jersey’s blood.