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Dallas Stars Free Agency: Five Realistic Options For Offensive Depth

By Josh Clark

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 14: James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates after scoring his third goal of the game against Kari Lehtonen #32 of the Dallas Stars as Esa Lindell #23 and John Klingberg #3 defend during the third period at the Air Canada Centre on March 14, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 14: James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates after scoring his third goal of the game against Kari Lehtonen #32 of the Dallas Stars as Esa Lindell #23 and John Klingberg #3 defend during the third period at the Air Canada Centre on March 14, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – DECEMBER 09: David Perron #57 of the Vegas Golden Knights scores a goal against the Dallas Stars in the second period at American Airlines Center on December 9, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – DECEMBER 09: David Perron #57 of the Vegas Golden Knights scores a goal against the Dallas Stars in the second period at American Airlines Center on December 9, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

1. David Perron

It’s been quite an eventful ride for David Perron over the past six years.

Since the 2012-13 season, Perron has made six different stops throughout the NHL. That includes two with St. Louis and one each with Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Anaheim, and Vegas.

His career took another sharp turn in June 2017 when he was selected in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights. For most of his career, Perron has been known as a middle-six forward, filling the role well. Going into the 2017-18 season, he had played in 652 career games, scoring 159 goals and 378 points while skating an average of 16:31 on the ice through 10 seasons.

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    • But in 2017-18, he took a step up and was more than just a depth forward for Vegas. While he skated an average of 17:49 per game and filed onto the second line for the majority of his 70-game season, Perron was an electric forward.

    He finished the season with 16 goals and 66 points. While the goals aren’t entirely impressive, it’s clear that he was a prime set-up player that knew how to find and generate offensive chances.

    Perron carried that same consistency into the playoffs, scoring one goal and tallying nine points in 15 games. He’s a dynamic forward that can be a solid depth option for any team and still put up big numbers.

    At 30 years old, the left winger carried a cap hit of $3.75 million in 2017-18. That is likely to rise considering his impressive production last season, so a contract in the $5 million range might be a fair estimate.

    The fact that he has only passed the 20-goal mark on three different occasions (with the last time being in 2013-14) might be worrisome if the Stars are looking for a big-time forward who puts the puck in the back of the net on a regular basis.

    But if Dallas wants a natural forward with plenty of good years left that can play with younger guys and revitalize the second line, Perron might be the perfect choice.

    The reports out of Vegas say that Perron will not be signing a new contract with Vegas and is looking at other opportunities as a result. If the Dallas Stars need a veteran winger to help provide a one-two punch with their first line and work well with younger guys, Perron could be a really good option.

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