Perron got the Stanley Cup championship with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 that he didn't get a year earlier with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights selected Perron in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft largely for his experience; he'd played 10 seasons in the League and was a reliable middle-six forward. Little could they have guessed that he'd turn into their top playmaker -- and then leave.

Vegas chose Perron after the Blues opted not to protect him following an 18-goal, 46-point season in 2016-17. He'd never had more than 35 assists or 57 points in a season, but Perron shattered those numbers and set NHL personal bests with a team-high 50 assists and 66 points, helping Vegas advance to the Stanley Cup Final in its first season.

That attracted the attention of the Blues, who brought him back for a third stint in St. Louis by signing him to a four-year contract on July 1, 2018. He had 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) in 57 regular-season games, then contributed 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 26 playoff games to help the Blues win the Cup for the first time since entering the NHL in 1967.

Perron accomplished another first in 2019-20 when he was selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis after putting up 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists) in 49 games. He then signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 13, 2022, and scored in his 1,000th NHL game, a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Dec. 10.

Before being selected by Vegas, it looked like Perron's NHL career had come full circle on July 1, 2016, when he signed as a free agent with the Blues. He had played his first six seasons in the League with St. Louis after being selected in the first round (No. 26) of the 2007 NHL Draft.

Perron was 19 when he made his NHL debut for the Blues on Oct. 12, 2007, after one season of major junior hockey. Perron led Quebec Major Junior Hockey League rookies in 2006-07 with 39 goals and a plus-37 rating, helping Lewiston win the QMJHL title and advance to the Memorial Cup. Perron also skated in the 2007 Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game and had an assist.

He got an assist in his first NHL game against the Colorado Avalanche, scored his first goal against Nikolai Khabibulin and the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 3, 2007, and finished his rookie season with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists).

Perron had 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) in 2008-09 before making his playoff debut on April 15, 2009, against the Vancouver Canucks; he scored his first NHL playoff goal against them six days later. Perron had his first NHL hat trick against the Canucks on Nov. 10, 2009 and went on to have the first 20-goal season of his NHL career. On Feb. 4, 2010, against the San Jose Sharks, he became the youngest player in Blues history (21 years, 248 days) to play in 200 games.

Perron had five goals and seven points in the first 10 games of the 2010-11 season, including back-to-back two-goal games Oct. 18 and 22, before he sustained a concussion and missed the rest of the season. He had two four-game goal streaks in 2011-12 and finished with 21 goals.

St. Louis traded Perron to the Edmonton Oilers on July 10, 2013. He tied for the team lead with 28 goals in 2013-14 and was first with eight power-play goals. The Oilers traded Perron to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 2, 2015, and the Penguins traded Perron to the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 16, 2016.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Played in NHL All-Star Game (2020)
• Traded to Edmonton by St. Louis with St. Louis' 3rd round pick (later forfeited to San Jose as a result of Edmonton's hiring of Todd McLellan as head coach -- San Jose selected Mike Robinson) in 2015 NHL Draft for Magnus Paajarvi, Edmonton's 2nd round pick (Ivan Barbashev) in 2014 NHL Draft and Edmonton's 4th round pick (Adam Musil) in 2015 NHL Draft, July 10, 2013.
• Traded to Pittsburgh by Edmonton for Rob Klinkhammer and Pittsburgh's 1st round pick (later traded to NY Islanders -- NY Islanders selected Mathew Barzal) in 2015 NHL Draft, January 2, 2015.
• Traded to Anaheim by Pittsburgh with Adam Clendening for Carl Hagelin, January 16, 2016.
• Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, July 1, 2016.
• Claimed by Vegas from St. Louis in Expansion Draft, June 21, 2017.
• Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, July 1, 2018.
• Signed as a free agent by Detroit, July 13, 2022.