Dallas Stars Sign 38-Year-Old David Perron to Bargain-Bin Deal

The Dallas Stars just signed 38-year-old David Perron to a one-year, $850,000 contract, proving once again that veteran wingers never actually retire, they just migrate to contenders on league-minimum deals.

PuckPedia dropped the contract details early Friday, confirming the one-way deal for the longtime NHL journeyman. At this point in his career, Perron is less of a traditional forward and more of a traveling playoff consultant.

"PuckPedia reported the contract details, confirming the one-way deal for the veteran forward."

For context, Perron has logged 1,239 regular-season games and 110 playoff appearances across seven different franchises. He already has a 2019 Stanley Cup ring from his time with the St. Louis Blues, and now he is bringing his 812 career points to a Dallas locker room that is clearly loading up for a deep spring run.

The move makes perfect sense for a Stars team trying to solidify its bottom six. Perron split last season between the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings, battling a groin injury in January before getting traded. Now, he gets a fresh start in Texas with zero pressure to carry the offense.

Dallas is coming off a tight 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche and heads to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on October 17. With Tyler Seguin already back in the top six following an ACL tear, adding a battle-tested guy like Perron gives the Stars the exact kind of annoying, heavy depth that swings tight playoff series.

If you are holding a futures ticket on the Western Conference, this is the kind of marginal roster padding you love to see. Dallas just bought nearly two decades of NHL experience for the price of a backup goalie's backup.

We will see exactly where the coaching staff slots him into the lineup this week. If Perron still has enough gas in the tank to grind out tough shifts, $850,000 is going to look like an absolute steal by April.