Rutherford Makes His Move: Penguins Acquire David Perron

Joseph Guzy January 2, 2015

1 2 minutes read

David Perron is the perfect fit for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have been on the hunt for top-six talent for quite some time. (Amber Bracken/QMI Agency)

David Perron isn’t the first Edmonton Oiler that Jim Rutherford has acquired for a potential Stanley Cup Champion roster in January. In 2006, Rutherford acquired Doug Weight for his first time Stanley Cup winning Carolina Hurricanes. No doubt that acquiring Perron will bring the Penguins even closer to becoming Rutherford’s second.

Ever since the departure of Bill Guerin, there has been desire for a strong top-six talent to play alongside Sidney Crosby. It became even more apparent earlier this season after the team lost Pascal Dupuis to injury. Many hypothetical deals involved giving up top defensive prospects such as Scott Harrington, Derrick Pouliot, and even current NHLer Olli Maatta. But when Rutherford picked up the phone, all it took was a first round pick and Rob Klinkhammer to bring David Perron to Pittsburgh.

Perron has proven he’s a goal scorer. Even on a 2013-2014 Oilers squad that finished with a record of 29-44-9, he managed to finish with 59 points (28G, 29A). He’s also managed to hit the 20-goal mark three times in his NHL career. It’s scary to think what he could do next to Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Perron isn’t simply a sniper. Per Pete Jensen, only five players had 28+ goals, 115+ hits and 220+ shots on goal last season: Alexander Ovechkin, Jamie Benn, Blake Wheeler (rumored trade target for the Penguins last season), James Van Riemsdyk, and David Perron. That’s great company for Perron. Especially coming from Edmonton. For a Penguins roster that is always looking to become tougher, Perron kills two birds with one stone. Not to mention he told @PensInsideScoop that he “likes creating chaos and room for other guys.” With Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist filling similar roles already, it’s going to be hard to shut down this team for a full 60 minutes.

His possession numbers fit right in with the Penguins new system under Mike Johnston as well with an average CorsiFor60 of 51.9%. Factor in two seasons with a struggling Oilers squad and it starts to look really good for Perron.

The Penguins may not be done with trading either. It’s still a shock to see what Jim Rutherford was able to obtain for a first-round pick and a depth player. The Penguins have plenty of trade assets if any teams are interested.

Perron will makes his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Reports are that he left from Denver today and is currently working out visa issues.

Check out all of Perron’s goals from his 2013-2014 season with Edmonton Oilers below: