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Detroit Red Wings left wing David Perron (57) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, April 13, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris O’Meara)<\/p>\n
Chris O’Meara\/AP<\/p>\n
Not knowing whether his playing days were over, David Perron<\/a> did all he could this offseason to stay around the game. \u00a0<\/p>\n He tried to stay in shape and train as if he were in a training camp of his own when he didn\u2019t receive a call from any of the 32 NHL teams by Sept. 15.<\/p>\n He also kept his hockey mind in shape, coaching his 11-year-old son\u2019s team back home in\u00a0Magog, Quebec, up until Sunday when he got on a flight to Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI was 3-0-2,” Perron said. \u201cI might be a coach by the end of this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The veteran forward joined the Stars<\/a> on a one-year, prorated, $850,000 deal Friday, embarking on his 20th season in the NHL. He participated in his first skate with the team Monday morning at American Airlines Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe looked good. We threw lots at him today,\u201d Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. \u201cYou can tell he\u2019s been skating. He\u2019s almost played every system, so it\u2019s easy for him to get up to speed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Gulutzan said he and GM Jim Nill made the call to add Perron midseason after Matt Duchene\u2019s core surgery<\/a>, which will sideline him for three months, and Oskar B\u00e4ck\u2019s finger injury<\/a>, which could keep him off the ice for a month.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you get some injuries, you know where your numbers are,\u201d Gulutzan said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to get thin this time of year. Jim\u2019s been at this a long time. He looked at the league. The league\u2019s getting very banged up right now, too, so then players are going to become more scarce. A lot of that, too, is about protecting yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Perron likely won\u2019t play in Tuesday\u2019s home game against the Boston Bruins, as Gulutzan wants the forward to have a few practices under his belt and learn the team\u2019s systems. But he is expected to debut at some point during the upcoming six-game homestand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n