Sunrise, Fla. — Just as many other players have said the same thing, and it’s true, David Perron had no expectation to get to this point, this number, and he’s pleasantly surprised he’s now here.
On Saturday in Dallas, the veteran Red Wings forward will play Game No. 1,000 in his career.
It’s a quite an honor. Perron will become only the 374th player to reach the milestone.
“It’s a lot more games than I thought I would get to,” Perron said.
It’s been quite a career for Perron, 34, who signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Wings last summer worth $9.5 million ($4.75 million per salary cap charge). Through 999 games, Perron is at 277 goals and 408 assists for 685 points,. He has reached double figures in goals 14 times in his career, a mark of his consistency.
Perron was signed for the unique blend of skills he’s always brought to a team. Be it grit, offensive skills particularly on the power play, his improved attention to defense over the years, and veteran leadership coming from a winning culture from St. Louis, where the Blues won the 2019 Stanley Cup.
Thus far, it’s been a perfect addition. Perron has eight goals and 12 assists (20 points) in 26 games, and become an important presence on and off the ice.
“He’s brought a lot to our group in a short period of time,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “Even the big picture of him getting to that point and the way he keeps competing and playing with such passion. (These milestones), they’re so rare in this league.”
This is Perron’s 16th NHL season, having spent time in St. Louis (three different times), Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Vegas. To play that long, for different teams with different playing styles, and maintaining a level of production, it’s not easy in professional hockey.
“I had to adapt through the years,” said Perron, who has never been known as an elite skater but more of a player with sublime instincts and passion. “The way these young guys come into the league now, and they’re all good athletes and good skaters from an early age, I had to adapt to that.
“Every five or six years, the league adapts and gravitates to a new game. My skating was never my best asset, but I’m able to get to the areas I need to do on the forecheck, power play, playing in all situations.
“Different teams, long (term) injuries, I kind of always questioned if I could get to this opportunity. It’s pretty special, for sure.”
In the locker room, Perron is a player who brings everybody into the conversation and makes sure players are relaxed and ready and excited to play.
On a relatively quiet team such as the Wings, outgoing personalities like Perron and Oskar Sundqvist (another former Blues player) are important characters.
“It’s nice to hear him in the locker room; he’s trying to talk to everyone,” said Wings goaltender Ville Husso, yet another former Blues teammate of Perron in St. Louis. “He’ll bring energy in the room. He knows how to handle everybody.”
Now that Perron has gotten to this milestone, he’s of the thinking of why stop here? And, really, the way Perron has looked on the ice, there’s no reason to believe any sort of end is near.
“You keep striving for more,” Perron said. “It feels similar to, not like winning a Cup, but when you get to a milestone early in your career, you take a breather and you’re happy to get there, but as you get older you’re not satisfied and you keep improving and getting better.
“One thousand is a number and you want to keep adding to it.”
Soderblom to Grand Rapids
The Wings activated forward Elmer Soderblom from injured reserve Friday and assigned him to minor-league affiliate Grand Rapids.
Soderblom, 21, had two goals and six penalty minutes in 13 games with the Red Wings this season. Soderblom (6-foot-8, 246-pounds), who brings a unique blend of size and offensive ability to the lineup, has missed the last month after blocking a shot Nov. 8 against Montreal.
Soderblom began skating with the Wings earlier this week. It’s unclear how long Soderblom will remain with the Griffins.
Trip finale
Thursday’s 5-1 loss in Florida was disappointing from every angle, with the Wings not playing well defensively, goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic continuing his season-long slump, and the team not generating much meaningful offense.
The Wings have a chance Saturday in Dallas to end this four-game road trip with a winning record (2-1-0) and erase the ugly loss.
“We just lacked, really, any grit in their offensive zone all night,” captain Dylan Larkin said. “We didn’t sustain pressure and win battles down there to keep pucks alive.”
Lalonde felt the Panthers had “a really easy night”, and now it’s on the Wings to reverse course in Dallas.
“It’ll be interesting to see how our guys respond from this,” Lalonde said. “If we play the way we’re capable of, we give ourselves a chance. We didn’t give ourselves a chance at all.”
Red Wings at Stars
▶ Faceoff: 2 p.m. Saturday, American Airlines Center, Dallas
▶ TV/radio: BSD/97.1 FM
▶ Outlook: Dallas (15-7-5) rallied to defeat Ottawa 4-3 Thursday in overtime. … The Stars are concluding a five-game homestand in which they’re 2-1-1. … LW Jason Robertson is having an MVP-caliber season, with 23 goals and 41 points, while G Jake Oettinger (10-3-3, 2.56 GAA, .915 SVS) is developing nicely in his young career.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan