Something to prove

DETROIT -- After spending the past four seasons with the St. Louis Blues, David Perron admitted it felt strange wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey at training camp in Traverse City in September.

But Perron, who signed a two-year free-agent deal with Detroit on July 13, said it wasn't the first time he's donned Red Wings gear.
"When I was 13 or 14, I got some red Sergei Fedorov gloves," Perron said on Sept. 22. "It reminded me of that when I put the gloves on. It's pretty cool. An Original Six team, for me, I never had the chance (to play for one) throughout all the teams and opportunities I've had in my career so far."
Perron is coming off a 2021-22 campaign in which he earned 57 points (27-30-57) in 67 regular-season games with the Blues, including 13 points (9-4-13) in 12 postseason games.

The 6-foot-1, 202-pound forward said that several clubs pursued him in free agency this past offseason, but he saw a promising opportunity with Detroit.
"The moment you get a call from Steve Yzerman, it catches your attention right away," Perron said on July 13. "I had several options that I was bouncing around in my head with my agent and my family, but the Red Wings are a team that is ready to take the next step in their rebuild."
Selected 26th overall by St. Louis in the 2007 NHL Expansion Draft, Perron has played 973 NHL games with the Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights.
"He self-admitted he's had to evolve within his career on approach, work ethic and habits," Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said on Sept. 22. "It's an unbelievable example of where he is now that he expects and wants practice to be at a high pace."
As Perron begins the 2022-23 season, he's ready to assume a leadership role.
"At the stage of my career I'm at, I want to be a difference-maker on the ice," Perron said. "Also, leadership-wise, being an extension of the coaching staff and preaching the right stuff in the room."

Goaltender Ville Husso, who was acquired in a trade from the Blues on July 8, is just one of several players to praise Perron.
"He's already been a big part of this team," Husso said on Sept. 24. "He's a pretty loud guy, so it's nice to hear him in the locker room."
Captain Dylan Larkin is enjoying playing with Perron instead of against him.
"I've played against David for all seven of my NHL years and he's very hard to play against," Larkin said on Sept. 22. "He's a gamer. He's very skilled and he wants the puck on his stick. I think he's going to be great for our young players. He's someone who has won in this league and produced at a high level for a very long time."
At 34 years old, Perron is now the oldest player in the Red Wings dressing room. But with age comes wisdom, something Perron wants to share with his new teammates.
"I want to help the young guys take steps forward," Perron said. "The value of the older guys and the type of culture they want to build is very important for the organization."
While Detroit's core of Larkin, Mortiz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Tyler Bertuzzi and others are back for 2022-23, the club also bolstered its lineup this past summer by signing eight free agents.
"There's a core of young players that has a chance to be a potentially pretty good team one day," Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman said on July 14. "The players recognize it."
Perron shares Yzerman's vision of the future of the franchise.
"I've been in different situations throughout my career where I didn't know anyone or knew some guys," Perron said. "But I'm excited to join a group where we're ready to start pushing in the right direction. The dog days are hopefully over and we're pushing the right way."
Perron, who won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, knows what it takes to be successful.

"We got a lot of guys with a lot of skill," Perron said. "I think if you take care of your own end, it's gonna allow more opportunities offensively and less time spent in your zone. At times, it's not comfortable for some of the young guys. But if you play the right way and play for the game to stay tight, they have enough skill that when they have one chance, they'll put it in."
Executing this on a nightly basis will not be easy, but the opportunity to lead by example, according to Perron, is why he joined the Red Wings.
"I wanted to be part of a solution," Perron said. "I felt that I could have the opportunity to show my leadership and what kind of player I can be. I know I'm getting older, but I still have a lot to prove."