Senators Forward Embraces Full Circle Moment

New Ottawa Senators forward is now playing alongside the son of his former teammate.

February 7, 2009; St, Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center Keith Tkachuk (7) celebrates with teammates right wing Brad Boyes (22) and left wing David Perron (57) after scoring a goal in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

In signing with the Ottawa Senators this week, forward David Perron has officially come full circle.

Perron, the No. 27 pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, began his career with the St. Louis Blues, where he played alongside Keith Tkachuk during the final years of his long career. Now, the 36-year-old forward joins a Senators team captained by Brady Tkachuk, the younger of Keith's two sons.

Perron and Brady have technically played together before, but that was with mini-sticks at Keith's house when Brady was just a child. Over 15 years later, they now get to play the game together at the highest level.

“I was thinking the other day, Brady would have been 8, 9, 10 years old when I played those three years with big Walt ... and that’s exactly where my son is now, he’s going to turn nine in a couple of weeks here," Perron told reporters, per SportsNet. "I was remembering some of the moments I had with Brady and (brother) Matthew, whether in the locker room after games or going to their house for Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

“It’s going to be hilarious, it’s kind of gone full circle.”

Even as he enters his late 30s, Perron still has some gas in the tank. He's scored more than 20 goalls in four of the past six seasons, and even in the two where he didn't, he came very close to that mark. His production took a slight hit last year, as he scored 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 76 games with the Detroit Red Wings, but averaging over 0.6 points per game in his age-35 season is still pretty good.

Right now, the Senators are just hoping to snap a seven-year playoff drought. Perron, who just left a Red Wings team in a very similar situation, hopes to help snap that streak and instill a winning culture.

“I want to be consistent every year,” Perron said. “It’s one thing to be a leader and do all the right things and everything, but you also have to perform, you have to produce to your abilities – your ice time, whatever role you’re given you have to do it and hopefully a little bit more.”

Additionally, Perron hopes to help Brady in the family rivalry. Matthew Tkachuk, Keith's eldest son and Brady's older brother, just won his first Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, so the younger brother has some catching up to do.

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