With a lot of young talent on the roster for next year, the New York Rangers may need to supplement the youth with a few veteran players.
David Perron had a career year in a place where everyone seems to have broke out, Las Vegas. In just 70 games, Perron totaled 66 points. That number is nine better than any season previous in his 10 year career. The left winger has been one of the many bright spots for Vegas in a year where they have surpassed all expectations.
Perron will become a free agent at years end and will likely be able to command a solid contract because of his production this season. He is on the older side, at age 30. He also has had a few durability issues in his career. Still, Perron can produce and also aid as a veteran presence in a younger lineup.
The Rangers will likely need to add at least one more veteran presence to their roster for next season. Would an aging winger like Perron be a good fit for New York? Lets examine the pros and cons of adding Perron.
Related Story: Five trade targets for Rangers
Pros
By adding David Perron, the Rangers would add a good amount of scoring experience to a lineup that lacks it. Perron would instantly become one of the most experienced Rangers on the team. During his career, Perron has shown he is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. He has never totaled more goals than assists in a season and he has eclipsed the 20 goal mark just three times.
He has notched at least 25 assists five times in his career. With a lot of the Rangers youth being at the center position, a play making winger like Perron could expedite the scoring growth of the younger centers. Perron has also been on a number of playoff teams. He has spent time in successful organizations like the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks and most recently the Golden Knights.
Combing the experience with a proven play making ability, adding Perron for a two to three year period could provide very beneficial for the Rangers. While helping on the ice, he could also assume a mentor role for some of the younger players on the team. Another plus with Perron is that he would keep the identity of the Rangers which seems to be a play making team with speed.
Related Story: Could the Rangers return to playoff contention soon?
Cons
There are a few reasons why Perron might not be such a good idea for New York. The first one is salary. The Rangers rebuild won’t be complete in a year or two. So the idea of locking up a player for that term with a massive contract seems unreasonable unless that player figures to be a cornerstone to the rebuild. First and foremost, Perron doesn’t seem to be that type of player to me. Despite the fact he would certainly add skill to the team, Perron wouldn’t be a player to keep around long term.
Back to the contract itself then. Since Perron wouldn’t be a long term piece in all of this, there is no sense spending more than $3 million a year on him. Obviously if the situation presented itself, upping that price a little could work, but not by much. Perron is currently under contract for $4.5 million. It is very realistic to assume that he could get that same number this offseason if not more.
Perron’s 66 points should at the very least be able to net him the same salary he made this season in Vegas. If anything, Perron will be able to demand more after his stellar season. It doesn’t seem like it would be in the Rangers best interest to spend that type of money simply to bridge a gap.
Next: Rangers can't lose sight of current rebuild
Verdict
I think Perron would be good fit for the New York Rangers, however it just doesn’t seem like the price will be right. If somehow New York is able to get Perron for a discount then I think he would be a very good fit for the team. However, it doesn’t seem like a realistic fit with what the salary looks like it will be.