St. Louis Blues: David Perron Making History, Maybe More To Come

The St. Louis Blues always hoped the potential of David Perron would come to fruition. That is why they kept bringing him back. We might be seeing it now.

The St. Louis Blues had a lot of faith in David Perron when they drafted him in 2007. If they did not, they would not have put him in the NHL immediately and play him for 62 games.

Unfortunately, as with many young players, the talent never quite showed itself the way the team and the fans kept expecting. There were glimpses and flashes, but not always there the entire time. That is why the Blues traded him.

However, members on the staff always kept hoping he would truly shine in the blue note. That is why they kept bringing him back, after a trade and after being taken away in the expansion draft.

While Perron has never lacked for skill, it was just that little bit of extra magic to finish plays and also play part of a team game that made him feel a slightly separate piece of the team. Now, Perron seems to have truly settled into the city, the culture of the franchise and is making history because of it.

Though it was unknown at the time, when Perron scored the overtime winner November 9 against the Calgary Flames, he did something never done before in the NHL. As reported on the Blues website, Perron’s goal was the first time in league history that a player had three overtime goals before their team had played 20 games.

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Now, for context, it should be noted that the NHL did not play overtime games from 1942 until 1983. Even so, the time period from 1983 onward had the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne and so many of the best goal scorers of all time.

None of them had accomplished this feat. Maybe it is something small, but it shows how clutch of a player that Perron has become.

It was also the first time in Blues history any of their players had scored that many overtime goals in any seven-game span. Again, maybe just an interesting stat, but for his talents it never felt like he stepped up in the bigger moments in his previous stays with the Blues.

Now, his glories are giving the team the glory of a win. There is no reason to think there might not be more to come with Perron either.

"“I think this is the best I’ve ever seen him play. He’s obviously had a lot of success this year, but even last year, obviously him and (Ryan O’Reilly) have some chemistry. This is probably the best I’ve seen him play after all these years in the League.” – Alex Pietrangelo on blues.nhl.com"

Through the team’s first 18 games of the 2019-20 season, Perron already has eight goals and 18 points. Of those, three goals are on the power play, three goals have been in overtime and five goals have been game winners.

It is unrealistic to think Perron will score 82 points. There is no reason he cannot set more personal records, which the five game winners currently is – his previous high was four game-winning goals in 2011-12 with the Blues and 2017-18 with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Perron is no longer looking for goals for individual achievement, as was the case when he was younger. Now, he is looking to take command when necessary but getting his offense through the flow of play instead of being a puck hog.

It used to be whispered in the back corners of the internet that Perron was where passes went to die. Now, Perron is taking the shots when available but keeping things going with his teammates. Oddly enough, that is actually benefiting him even more in terms of production.

If Perron stays healthy and focused, at this pace, it would actually be surprising if he did not reach 30 goals by the end of the season. Players rarely set personal records once they pass age 30, but Perron is playing a team game and getting the goals through that.

More importantly, based on his late-game heroics, he feels at home in those tight spots. It is one thing to get a goal in a 5-2 beatdown or a garbage goal in a loss. When you can step up to the plate and pull your team to victory because of your ability to score, then the sky could be the limit.

Going from a career high of 28 to an elite-level sniper total by the end of the year is not realistic. There is no reason to think 30 might not be possible.

Perron seems to learn more and play better each time he returns to St. Louis. Maybe 2019-20, even after a very solid 2018-19, is the year we get the Perron we all thought he would be when he was drafted all those years ago.