The Pens sent the Oilers their 2015 draft pick and sizeable depth forward Rob Klinkhammer (6'3'', 210 pounds), so both teams will likely end up with what they need from this move. Perron was a late first-rounder himself (26th overall in 2007), so chances are the Oilers could draft just as valuable a player as he is, with the addition of Klinkhammer, who will have the rest of the season to audition to be on the team's third line next season.
Perron, on the other hand, now gets an opportunity to play with a Stanley Cup contender. He already has three 20-goal seasons (with a high of 28 last year), never playing on a first line, only once averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game.
He had 21 goals and 42 points in 57 games with the St. Louis Blues in 2011-12, and 28 goals and 57 points in 78 games last year - on the lowly Oilers. He's (at least) a 25-goal, 60-point man on any team's second line, and a 30-goal, 65-point man on a bad team's first line; with a top-level passer, the goals potential is off the charts, which is why I see him lining up next to Crosby. Playing alongside Evgeni Malkin would also produce some offense, but it would be distributed more evenly on the goals-and-assists front for both players, who are as good at setting plays up as they are at finishing them.
I wrote to him last March, sending along 5 cards, hoping for a couple back for my Oilers Numbers Project, but haven't had a reply from #57. Still, I have a few jersey cards of his I can feature in the meantime, including this one:
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