Ottawa Senators Head Coach Provides Update On Injured Winger David Perron

Back in July, when free-agent NHL veteran David Perron signed a two-year deal worth $4 million per season, the Ottawa Senators projected that he'd contribute his usual 45-60 points. Just as importantly, with 17 seasons under his belt, they hoped he'd add some important veteran leadership to the younger players and the positive influence of a winning pedigree.

All of that may still come, but Perron's first two months in Ottawa have not gone as anyone had hoped.

The first and, by far, the biggest issue was attending to the health of his newborn daughter, whose medical situation now seems to be trending in the right direction. That absence was critically important, and by comparison, hockey doesn't matter – not even a little.

But if we're talking just about hockey, his absence had an effect. It broke up a line with Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio that had looked dangerous in the first few games. Pinto and Amadio have rarely looked as good this season as they did in those first few games.

Perron came back in mid-November and played four games, just trying to get back up to game speed after a month-long absence. Unfortunately, he's on the sidelines again after suffering an upper-body injury, presumably in the game against the Vancouver Canucks. He's now missed four games, and after Tuesday's practice, head coach Travis Green provided his usual ultra-brief player health update.

"David Perron is still out," Green told the media. "He'll be out for a little bit more here."

If a player is within two or three games of returning, Green will usually tell us that the player is getting close. So this is worrisome, particularly here in Ottawa, where fans have witnessed more than their share of upper body injuries.

Perron has 0 points in 9 games, so one might make the argument that he isn't really missed that much. But keep in mind that this is a player who's averaged 55 points a season throughout his career without any fierce spikes or drop-offs. So, even if he's in a slump or his sunset has begun, he still easily fits inside this team's top nine, and over the long haul, the offensive stats will surely come.

While Nick Cousins and Noah Gregor are both gamers, they're far more suited to a fourth-line energy/agitator role. Even Ridly Greig, who's still in the fourth line doghouse for his bizarre too-many-men penalty on Saturday night, hasn't shown anything yet to suggest he can bring the kind of offense that Perron has throughout his career.

Despite his ill-fated start to the season, Perron's eventual return to action remains Ottawa's best hope of unlocking the secondary scoring that's been missing.