Red Wings 2022-23 Wrap-Up: David Perron

DETROIT -- During his end-of-season media session, David Perron made a point to highlight the collective improvement he saw from the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022-23 campaign.

And while Perron was encouraged by the Red Wings' progress, the 35-year-old forward still sees plenty of room for growth.

"I think the standard has been elevated this year," Perron said in April. "We gotta keep doing that. There's a long way to go. You see teams around the league, they have a lot of good players, young guys coming in, draft picks and all that stuff. Everyone thinks they're gonna trend up, but to me, it doesn't just happen that way. You gotta keep pushing for more, keep investing each and every day."

Perron finished his first season in Detroit with 56 points (24-32-56) in 82 games, reaching the 20-goal and 50-point plateau for the seventh time in his 16-year NHL career. The Sherbrooke, Quebec, native also appeared in his 1,000th career NHL game on Dec. 10 against the Dallas Stars.

According to Perron, who signed a two-year deal with the Red Wings last summer, there was a clear plan when it came to setting and maintaining the club's mindset.

"We wanted to try to play meaningful games as long as we could, probably knowing that we wouldn't be part of the dance," Perron said. "But I've seen crazier things happen. I've seen a Vegas team formed by guys who weren't protected and head to the Stanley Cup Finals."

Perron has played for 12 different head coaches since making his debut as a 19-year-old with the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 12, 2007. And when asked about Derek Lalonde, Perron said the Red Wings' first-year coach did "a lot of great things."

"For me, the first thing that sticks to my mind when I talk about Newsy is his meetings and video sessions with the group were spot on," Perron said. "Of all the coaches I've had in my career, I've had a lot of great ones and good people who I connected strongly with, he's up there when it comes to that."

As Perron entrenched himself as a leader in Detroit's dressing room, he saw pieces of the team's talented young core making an impact.

"Mo (Moritz Seider) and Razor (Lucas Raymond), they're young guys," Perron said. "They've pushed all year to keep getting better. I thought Bergy (Jonatan Berggren) was a nice surprise coming in. I think there will be even more competition next year for him to come back, so I think he needs to have a good summer as well."

And rather than a new beginning for the Red Wings, Perron views this year's training camp as a continuous process from last season.

"We're gonna go into every practice knowing most drills," Perron said. "That's what I meant by the standard. You just don't go out there and react to practice. You push the pace, increase the intensity and the competitiveness in all aspects that can make us better in the end."