Red Wings activate David Perron from injured reserve

A returning face to Hockeytown is set to jump back on the ice.

The Detroit Red Wings activated forward David Perron from injured reserve. He’s expected to be in the lineup on Saturday night, when the Red Wings take on the Dallas Stars.

Perron was recently re-acquired by the Red Wings ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline last week, as the veteran winger was dealt to Detroit by the Ottawa Senators. The Wings gave up a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, which would become a third-rounder if the team reaches the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Perron has been out of action since Jan. 20, as a sports hernia placed him on IR, and kept him on the shelf since prior to the Olympic break. On a Sens team that has had a roller-coaster of a season thus far, the 37-year-old has some level of production, scoring 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 49 games. It’s a little more than what Perron was able to amass during an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign, in which he posted just 16 points in 43 games.

This is Perron’s second stint in Detroit. He was part of the Original Six franchise from 2022 to 2024, providing experience to a young roster and almost helping the team reach the postseason in 2023-24. He scored 41 goals and 62 assists for 103 points across the two years in the Motor City.

Perron’s return to the lineup is important for a Wings team that has injuries across the board. Captain Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, and Michael Rasmussen are out for weeks, with Michael Brandsegg-Nygard considered day-to-day. They’re hoping the additions of Perron and Justin Faulk will be enough to get the team over the hump and end the franchise’s decade-long playoff drought.

The Red Wings (36-23-7) came into Saturday fourth in the Atlantic Division, holding onto the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.