David Perron will play his 20th NHL season in Dallas. The Stars announced Friday that they have signed the 38-year-old winger to a one-year contract with an $850,000 average annual value, which Sportsnet reported is the league minimum. The salary will be prorated for the games that remain. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman first reported the move Thursday.
"He brings a competitive mindset and a proven ability to perform in big moments," general manager Jim Nill said in the team's announcement. "We believe his veteran leadership and skill set will be a valuable addition to our group as we continue to build toward our goal of winning a Stanley Cup."
A forward group under strain
The signing follows an injury-heavy two weeks for Dallas up front. Matt Duchene, moved to long-term injured reserve on Oct. 1, had core muscle surgery and is expected to be out about three months. Wyatt Johnston missed both games of this week's home-and-home series with Colorado because of an illness.
Oskar Bäck went on injured reserve Friday, with the move backdated to Oct. 14, after an upper-body injury knocked him out of Wednesday's game in Denver, CBS Sports reported. Joel Kiviranta had already missed a week after blocking a shot, and Radek Faksa was struck on the knee by a puck in Pittsburgh, the team's website noted.
Coach Glen Gulutzan said Monday that Duchene tried to play through the problem in training camp before the club sought more opinions. "And a collection of those minds decided, 'Let's take care of it rather than trying to just work through it,'" Gulutzan said, according to the Dallas Sports Journal.
The scoring has dipped as well. The Stars have 15 goals in seven games, and their average of 2.14 per game ranks 30th in the league. Last season they averaged 3.33, ninth in the NHL. Their power play has converted two of its 16 chances.
What Perron brings
Perron has 332 goals and 812 points in 1,239 regular-season games with seven franchises, plus 64 points across 110 postseason games. He has topped 20 goals seven times. His most productive season came in 2017-18, when he set career highs with 50 assists and 66 points for a Vegas team that reached the Stanley Cup Final.
A year later he won the Cup with St. Louis, contributing 16 points in 26 postseason games.
