Why the Blues could have shown David Perron more respect

Not offering him a contract at all left a cold feeling, Mr. Armstrong.

Doug Armstrong is very good at his job, which is a tough one. The St. Louis Blues general manager has worked around a flat salary cap for the past couple of seasons, putting a strain on free agent pursuits and retaining players for the next season. Case in point: David Perron.

The former winger departed St. Louis for a third time last month when the Blues couldn’t find suitable cap room to keep him, signing with Detroit for two years and a very, very modest $4.75 million per season. The contract left Blues fans puzzled, especially when they found out no offer was ever presented to the Frenchman.

Here’s the thing. The Blues didn’t HAVE to re-sign Perron. It doesn’t take them out of playoff contention and won’t keep the Enterprise Center empty when the regular season kicks off. Sports fans may have a collective short attention span, but they also forget and move on after players leave. However, Perron was a fan favorite and wasn’t exactly slowing down.

He averaged right around 60 points per season over the last five years, netting 27 goals with a career-high eleven of those coming on the power play this past season. Perron was a wing threat on every man advantage opportunity, lurking at the point with a wicked one-timer that Vladimir Tarasenko dreams about having at night.

His health also improved over his third stint in St. Louis. While people are always going to throw around “concussion” with Perron, he hasn’t dealt with that recurring issue in years. It wouldn’t be a reason to not sign him for two more years, which would have undoubtedly led to another 20-25 goals and 55-60 points. He was becoming a real machine, and the Blues didn’t even offer him a contract.

I don’t care if it puts St. Louis over the cap. He has the rest of the summer to figure that out, and make a trade or two. Maybe if you go to David and ask him to take more on the back end and less up front, he may have chosen to stay in a city that he loved more than most players who wear the Blue Note. In an exit interview with The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, he voiced sadness that his wife and kids won’t be able to live here after he’s done playing as intended.

If that’s the case, there’s some bad blood between the front office and Perron. He’s not a guy to hold a grudge against a team that brought him back twice. It’s more like he’s as confused as everyone else that Armstrong didn’t even call him. Sports are a business first and foremost, but respect should be shown to a guy who played 11 seasons all together in this town.

The Blues didn’t have to re-sign Perron. They won’t be lost without him next season, but in an offseason where they also lost their formidable backup goalie and didn’t land Matthew Tkachuk, the sting of his loss is felt a little more than usual-or the last two times he left.

And you let him go to Detroit, which is aggravating in its own right. Now, there is a 25 goal/60 point gap to fill on the forward lines. I don’t doubt Armstrong has a plan; I just wish it had included at least an offer to Perron. You just never know if he would have taken it or denied it.

Letting Perron walk wasn’t an awful move. The Blues chose defense with their priority, extending Nick Leddy, someone who really helped their team last season. Letting Perron walk in the manner that they did was the ugly part.