The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired David Perron from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2015 first-round pick and Rob Klinkhammer. Regardless of whether you feel Pittsburgh or Edmonton got the better end of that deal, it’s hard not to see Perron as the big winner in all of this.
He’s going from one of, if not the worst team in the league to a club that has the potential to win the Stanley Cup. Perron said it’s tough to leave any situation once you’re emotionally invested, but he’s not shy about admitting that this is an exciting turn of events for him.
“Once (the losses) start piling on, it’s hard to get out of it,” Perron said. He later added, “I think the first few years you’re in the league, you’re just happy to be in (it) ... but after a few years you just want to win and obviously it’s not going to happen this year in Edmonton. It’s nice to get that kind of opportunity in Pittsburgh.”
When asked if he was a pretty happy guy overall, he didn’t hesitate before saying, “For sure.”
He did offer an olive branch to the Oilers by saying that they’ll bounce back “eventually” and be a top team.
Others were far less diplomatic when talking about how Perron must feel right now:
David Perron right now: pic.twitter.com/yGfISkEjae
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) January 2, 2015
It’s also not difficult to see how this deal could benefit the Penguins, given that they’ve had a hole in their roster since losing Pascal Dupuis (blood clot). Perron’s presence could help solidify the Penguins’ top two lines.
Love this trade for the #Pens. Perron has great hands, could be a huge factor down the stretch.
— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) January 2, 2015
This move also gels with what Penguins GM Jim Rutherford did when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Rutherford acquired Doug Weight on Jan. 30, 2006 in Cup year for Hurricanes. Not easy to do but he prefers trying to make moves early
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 2, 2015
Most of the criticism for this trade was instead directed at Edmonton. It’s easy to see why a team consistently at or near the bottom of the NHL standings would chose to trade a veteran for a top draft pick, but the Oilers have been rebuilding for so long that it’s hard not to be cynical.
Finally. A first-round pick for the #Oilers to turn that ship around.
— Dave Stubbs 🇨🇦 (@Dave_Stubbs) January 2, 2015
Especially seeing as, while this move was big for Edmonton, for better or worse its core is still untouched.
David Perron going to #Pens. He wasn't the problem with #Oilers. But among non core guys Perron could draw the most in return.
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) January 2, 2015
If you want to see Perron’s full post-trade press conference, you can watch it here: