St. Louis Blues: David Perron Signed For The Money

By Todd Panula | Aug 7, 2016

The St. Louis Blues re-signed David Perron earlier in the summer. Apparently, money was one of the deciding factors.

The St. Louis Blues felt they needed to add some reasonably priced scoring touch this offseason after seeing David Backes and Troy Brouwer go in various directions for more money and term than the Blues were willing to put up. They found that need in former Blues winger, David Perron.

Now comes word that the Blues may have actually outbid the Montreal Canadiens, whether they knew it or not. Perron, told French Canadian website, RDS, that his boyhood team was one of two teams he was looking into hooking up with once it became apparent the Anaheim Ducks were not going to bring back the sporadic scorer even after his playoff run with them last season.

Perron pretty much insinuated that money became the deciding factor. News Flash! Stop the presses! A professional athlete takes the money!

Gasp! No! It can’t be. What nonsense is this? What witchcraft could it be?

In all seriousness, why would anyone be surprised? The two players that departed the Blues, left the team that likely has the better chance to do something in the playoffs, was better built to be a contender and build for the long run, instead taking the money.

Sure, there were lures in the Canadiens if this is true. Nobody can deny anyone the opportunity to play for their childhood team. If any of us were good enough, would it be a shock if we chose the Blues to play for? The same is true of anyone that grew up in Quebec with the Habs.

However, whether it suits our purposes in this instance or goes against our rooting interests in others, players do have to look out for themselves. So do the teams.

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Should the Blues have given out almost $4 million per season to an inconsistent scorer with some injury problems, namely some concussion issues? Maybe not. Time will tell.

If the Blues can find that magic elixir to roll back the clock and get Perron clicking with some linemates, the deal could be a steal. If not, then it’s a bit of an overpay but with only two years on the deal, it is still manageable.

The Canadiens didn’t feel the need to give Perron what he wanted simply to come home and felt the money could have been spent better elsewhere. Conversely, the Blues wanted him back, had a need for an NHL ready player and got him at a price that was not going to land them another player that gives you the capability to score the numbers Perron has put up in his past.

And for anyone shocked that the opportunity to right some wrongs was not the only reason he returned to St. Louis, they need to wake up. We all want to believe that players honestly think our city is as great as we think it to be.

We all want them to feel our passion when they pull that sweater on and if they come back, to do so for the love of the club. Sadly, that’s just not usually the case. Not always anyway.

However, it doesn’t mean that what Perron said about having an affection for the city was false. There are a lot of factors that go into these complex decisions and money is likely just the largest one.

There’s an old saying that pretty much goes anytime a player says it’s not about the money, it’s about the money.

It’s always about the money. Sure, contracts have gotten out of control and we would all like to turn back the clock to make ticket prices lower and go back to a day when players gave their hearts to a team and city and the paycheck was just a bonus.

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Those days are gone though. That doesn’t mean players don’t care. It doesn’t mean they don’t fall in love with cities like St. Louis – especially since there are so many former players that return when their career is done. It just means that monetary compensation is always a factor no matter what anyone says.

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