David Perron (born May 28, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Growing up in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Perron played his junior hockey for the Lewiston Maineiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League where he led them to the 2006 President's Cup. As a result of his play, Perron was drafted in the first round, 26th overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL entry draft. He began his professional career with the Blues organization before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2013. His short stint in Edmonton was met with a myriad of injuries which also prohibited him from participating in the 2014 World Championship. After two years with the Oilers, Perron was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks before returning to St. Louis in 2016. He was left unprotected by the team for the 2017 NHL expansion draft and was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights for their inaugural season. Perron had a career-high season with the Golden Knights and returned to St. Louis for the third time where he won the Stanley Cup in 2019. He initially joined Detroit in 2022, the first free agent contract of his career not signed with St. Louis; he then signed with the Ottawa Senators two seasons later, before being traded back to Detroit in 2026.
Perron was born on May 28, 1988, in Sherbrooke, Quebec to parents François Perron and Brigitte Labrecque. Growing up in Sherbrooke, Perron played in the 2001 and 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with minor ice hockey teams from his hometown. Although he was eligible to be drafted into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's midget draft, Perron was overlooked twice before being selected in 2006. He played with the Saint-Jérôme Panthers in the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League during his first year of NHL draft eligibility where he recorded 69 points in 51 games. Despite his performance, Perron was never interviewed by any NHL teams and went undrafted in 2006.
Perron then had an excellent rookie season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), leading the Lewiston Maineiacs in scoring with 39 goals and 83 points in 70 games played. His increase in scoring caught the attention of NHL scouts and he was ranked 10th over all 2007 draft-eligible North American skaters by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Central Scouting Bureau. He helped lead the Maineiacs to their first President's Cup in franchise history and participated in the Memorial Cup. During their Memorial Cup run, Perron was the team's second leading goal scorer with 12 goals and 16 assists.
Perron was selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL entry draft. On the day of his draft, Perron told reporters that he "had every intention of making the team at training camp." He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team on September 5, 2007, after St. Louis Blues President John Davidson praised his "tremendous creativity and offensive skill." In October, it was confirmed that Perron would start the season with the Blues after an impressive training camp.
Due to the language differences in St. Louis versus Quebec, Perron did not set up his bank account or cash cheques from training camp, resulting in coach Andy Murray helping him set up his first bank account and credit card. He also showed up to Blues practice with white skates, which Murray then ordered the equipment staff to paint black. Upon making his NHL debut during the 2007–08 season, he subsequently became the fifth youngest skater in Blues history at 19 years, 137 days old. On November 3, 2007, Perron scored his first career NHL goal during a 3–2 loss against the Chicago Blackhawks. His goal came during the first period off of a pass from Doug Weight and after review of the play, he helped the Blues tie the game. He finished his rookie season with 13 goals and 27 points in 62 games and was named to the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game.
Perron rejoined the Blues for the 2008–09 pre-season during which he recorded a hat-trick to lift the Blues 9–2 over the Atlanta Thrashers. He impressed Davidson and assistant general manager (GM) Doug Armstrong during training camp who praised his work ethic and perseverance. Davidson spoke highly of Perron's efforts by saying "You know that I can tell with David Perron ... he wants it as bad as anybody in the NHL...Now that he's made the NHL, he wants to come back and prove that he can play at another level. The passion that that kid has is special." This season proved to be his most successful at the time and by January, Perron had recorded a team-leading 24 assists and earned a spot on the sophomore team at the NHL YoungStars Game. Coach Murray would often place Perron with young players like Patrik Berglund and T. J. Oshie to form the Kid Line which was used to boost the energy of the game. He concluded his sophomore campaign placing third on the team in scoring as he helped lead the Blues to the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. During their playoff run, Perron recorded two points in four games as they lost to the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference quarter final.
After attending the Blues' training camp, Perron was selected for their 2009–10 opening night roster. Following his successful sophomore season, expectations were high for Perron to make an impact with the team while playing alongside David Backes and Andy McDonald. He began the season well and scored his first NHL regular season hat trick on November 10, 2009, in a 6–1 win over the Canucks. A few days later during a game against the New York Islanders, Perron skated the puck up the ice and deked around two Islander players to score the fourth goal of the game against Dwayne Roloson. His goal was later voted by fans as the runner-up Best Moment Of the Season. Some teammates preferred to not have Perron on their line because he held on to the puck too long. Veteran Keith Tkachuk would serve as a mentor for him during the season, often having a trainer alert Perron to meet him in a closed-door room in between periods. He concluded his third season with a then-career high 20 goals in 82 games, placing him fourth on the Blues in points scored.
During the summer of 2010, Perron signed a two-year contract worth $4.3 million to stay with the Blues. Armstrong stated that the contract was because "we are expecting David to grow into a complete player at this level." He began his fourth year campaign with a scoring streak of five goals in his first ten games before sustaining a season-ending concussion on November 4. The concussion was the result of an elbow to the temple from San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton and he missed 13 months to recover. Thornton received a two-game suspension for the hit and Perron ended his 167 consecutive games played streak. As a result, Perron was unable to join the Blues for the start of their 2011–12 campaign but was medically cleared to play in December. Upon returning to the Blues' lineup, Perron helped them boost their rankings in the Central Division and Western Conference while scoring in four consecutive games. By February, Perron had recorded 24 points in 30 games and was named the third NHL Star of the Week. He finished the regular season recording 42 points in 57 games as the Blues qualified for the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Blues met with the San Jose Sharks in the first round the Stanley Cup playoffs whom they beat in five games. The series winning goal was scored by Perron after deflecting Alex Pietrangelo's shot into the net to break a 1–1 tie with eight minutes remaining. This goal was later voted by Blues fans as the Best Moment of the season. After losing to the Los Angeles Kings, Perron signed a four-year, $15.25 million contract extension with the Blues although the following season would be his last. In his final season with the team, Perron failed to maintain the same scoring level from the previous season and only recorded 10 goals in 48 games. Under new head coach Ken Hitchcock, Perron was often relegated to the fourth line or made a healthy scratch for being too aggressive in the offensive zone and racking up penalty minutes. They would often disagree on plays, and Perron admitted that he was a "very difficult coach."