David Perron

[chippa13 1844]

STL got fleeced!

Still have my doubts about McT running this team, but love this trade!

I don't know that St. Louis got fleeced. Paajarvi is still young and on the rise and with Edmonton's track record the last few years, that second round pick could be a round 1 prospect for round 2 money. I think the deal was good for both teams and players.

[Chadd 916]

MPS has always shown flashes of skill but couldn't really put it together in Edmonton. He's an incredible skater and solid in his own end, but he always seemed like the odd man out amongst their high picks, especially with Gagner finally coming into his own to some degree. I think a change of scenery will do wonders for these guys especially given the systems they are going to. Edmonton seems to run a pretty wide open offensive system which will be a great canvas for a creative player like DP57 to draw on, and at the same time, I think MPS will thrive under the more structured, defense first Hitchcock style of play.

Nice assessment, I think Paajarvi is better suited to being a third line, checking forward with skill and David is better suited to being a top six winger.

[ntwusc 62]

Not surprising given St. Louis' cap situation with Stewart, Pietrangelo, and Jake Allen still to be signed.

[Cavs019 702]

Agreed Chadd. I think Paajarvi tops out as a more skilled Stalberg which is the blueprint player for 3rd lines these days.

For Edmonton, their top 6 will probably look something like this:

Hall - RNH - Eberle

Yakupov - Gagner - Perron

Scary skill, but wont be too difficult to play against from a physicality standpoint. Tons of options on the PP as well.

[Cavs019 702]

...hence the Nurse pick and their attempt to trade for Schneider. Ference should help and hopefully Schultz can progress after a full year of pro. That said, I doubt they are done dealing and its pretty transparent that Dubnyk isn't going to be the guy in net long term.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Ian White is young (29) and experienced (500+ NHL games) but has been on 5 teams in the past 3 seasons...

I can't figure out if that means NO ONE wants him or EVERYONE wants him! hmmmmm.....

[akravetz 29]

I'm 50/50 on this one. As a Blues fan, DP always had potential to make a big play of score a big goal, but held on to the puck too long trying to do too much. Seems the consensus is Edm got the better of this deal. What can StL expect from Paajarvi? I'm not overly familiar with him.

As a Blues fan, I think this was done not only to save money for Petro et al but also to send a message. David was a scapegoat and a symbol of the Blues' younger guys not getting stuff done. For whatever reason, fans here didn't take to Perron like they have Oshie. it's a shame. Perron's got very good skill and well, I think the Blues are going to regret this. But time will tell.

Andy in Peoria

[Simonp27 0]

Followed DP since his draft year on here.

Have always followed the Oilers so easy for me.

I think this will work out well for David as he is a good fit for the Oilers. Looked like last season's lockout cost him some foot speed which I am sure a summer of crazy perron off ice training will put right. Can't wait to see what he does in EDM.

[flip12 698]

I liked Paajarvi's development last year. It looked like he finally realized he's faster than most defensemen and can simply take the puck wide with his big reach. I do see him as a second line forward, if not fully this year, then probably next year. His development looks like Bill Guerin or Todd Bertuzzi. Sometimes power forwards take a while to get it at the new level. Plus, I think he was all speed when he was younger, and that's what got him drafted so high. Now he's realizing he's both big and fast. There just wasn't room for him in Edmonton to get up to speed. Not like Edmonton was a really stable place for anyone to develop anyway.

[Stewie 721]

Ian White couldnt even crack the Wings D top 6 last year very often. He has been lost ever since paired with Lidstrom, which just goes to show you how good Lidstrom was when he retired, he made Ian White look like first pairing material.

Back on topic, I think its a great move for Edmonton.

[iceman8310 103]

Agreed Chadd. I think Paajarvi tops out as a more skilled Stalberg which is the blueprint player for 3rd lines these days.

For Edmonton, their top 6 will probably look something like this:

Hall - RNH - Eberle

Yakupov - Gagner - Perron

Scary skill, but wont be too difficult to play against from a physicality standpoint. Tons of options on the PP as well.

what about hemsky? I know they may move on him but he's got some skill too. I could see both Perron and Hemsky rotating on the 2nd line if Ales stays.

Edited July 11, 2013 by iceman8310

[Cavs019 702]

Hemsky will be on the IR by October 20th so its moot. In all seriousness I think he gets moved for a top 4 Dman. He's in the last year of his deal I believe and having Hemsky or Perron on your 3rd line doesn't exactly bode well for Edmonton considering how physical the west is.

[Chadd 916]

Hemsky will be on the IR by October 20th so its moot. In all seriousness I think he gets moved for a top 4 Dman. He's in the last year of his deal I believe and having Hemsky or Perron on your 3rd line doesn't exactly bode well for Edmonton considering how physical the west is.

Chicago has showed that you don't have to play an overly physical game to win.

[Cavs019 702]

Who is the Bickell or Handzus in that top 6? They proved you don't have to hit the crap out of people to win, but you need guys who will go to the dirty areas and score ugly goals, or what I would describe as "physical" on the offensive side of the game. Maybe someone like a Ryan Jones can play that role, but that then displaces a Gagner or Perron to bottom 6 duty.

[ktang 34]

Edmonton has made all these moves, but the interest doesn't seem to be there this summer. Last summer (before the lockout became big news), all the Oilers fans around here were talking about Krueger, Yakupov, Justin Schultz, etc. in a make-or-break season.

Hopefully the Oilers make the playoffs this season.

[Neal 41]

Who is the Bickell or Handzus in that top 6? They proved you don't have to hit the crap out of people to win, but you need guys who will go to the dirty areas and score ugly goals, or what I would describe as "physical" on the offensive side of the game. Maybe someone like a Ryan Jones can play that role, but that then displaces a Gagner or Perron to bottom 6 duty.

The Oilers may not have a traditional power forward in their top 6, but I don't think they lack for players willing to go to the net for goals. Hall and Yakupov both showed a willingness to go to the net and Perron is known for paying the price to score goals. Would Milan Lucic look nice in Oilers' colors? Yes, but those players are rare. A big, tough player who can play with talented players on the top 6 and 1st power play is the Holy Grail. Most teams have to find a way to win without one.

[Chadd 916]

Who is the Bickell or Handzus in that top 6? They proved you don't have to hit the crap out of people to win, but you need guys who will go to the dirty areas and score ugly goals, or what I would describe as "physical" on the offensive side of the game. Maybe someone like a Ryan Jones can play that role, but that then displaces a Gagner or Perron to bottom 6 duty.

Handzus was only put on the second line because they didn't have anyone that could win faceoffs in that position. He is a third or fourth line guy that was playing out of position. As for Bickell, he wasn't all that physical over the course of the season. At least, not nearly as much as most people were expecting from him. It will be interesting to see if he is a late bloomer or a Dustin Penner.

[JGraz15 53]

Interesting article

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/perron-blues-were-often-an-uneasy-fit/article_5dfa5487-b645-5074-a7e4-f6ed9d8b3314.html

[RadioGaGa 162]

A goal and assist for David last night...and here's what Dallas Eakins had to say after the game (From tsn.ca);

"I think we have a lot there," said Eakins.. "He can score, he competes hard and he's not afraid to get his nose dirty. We've let him loose on the penalty kill a little bit. I think we have a very well-rounded player and another guy who is excited to play hockey. He really likes to play the game and that's important."

[Souldriver 64]

Ill just put this here

[Chadd 916]

With all the injury issues to centers in Edmonton, David is going to get a chance to get quality ice time. Either in the middle or at his natural wing.

[camhockey16 5]

2 nice deflection goals tonight - 5 in the preseason so far

[Chadd 916]

He was on NHL Live yesterday afternoon, did a 5 minute phone interview with the guys. I just caught the rebroadcast this morning.

[chk hrd 164]

I watched it also, hope he does well in Edmonton.

[camhockey16 5]

found it

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=-6&id=447434&cmpid=rss-whatsnew