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Detroit Red Wings in free agency: Steve Yzerman signs David Perron for 2 years, $9.5 M

Steve Yzerman continued a busy day of free agency and agreed to terms with veteran forward David Perron.

The Detroit Red Wings announced Wednesday the two-year deal with an annual average value of $4.75 million.

The 34-year-old has banked multiple 20-goal seasons during an NHL career that began in 2007 with the St. Louis Blues and spans 973 games. The Wings gain a Stanley Cup champion (2019, Blues) who can add scoring and also serve as a mentor for the younger players.

Perron's signing was part of a busy first few hours of free agency for Yzerman, who also signed center Andrew Copp, forward Dominik Kubalik and defensemen Olli Määttä and Ben Chiarot.

Perron, 34, has 269 goals and 665 points in 973 games. A former first-round pick of the Blues (No. 26, 2007), Perron also has played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights. He scored 25 goals as recently as last season, topping 20 goals for a second straight year, and has at least 57 points in each of his last three seasons.

Perron shoots right. In addition to adding depth to the top nine, he should boost their power play — Perron had 11 power play goals last season, a career high.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings sign free agent David Perron to 2-year deal