Performance
Mathieu Perreault might be the best thing to ever happen to the Winnipeg Jets, – he surely is the best thing to happen via free agency. After spending a few years as a depth player on some highly skilled teams he was given the opportunity to play a bigger role. Perreault thrived in this increased role.
Mathieu has long been among the most productive 5 on 5 scorers in the NHL. He scores like a first line forward and this trend continued. Perreault finished the season second among full time Jets in points per minute – second to only Blake Wheeler. He isn't just a scorer though. Mathieu Perreault is a strong possession player.
Traditionally, Perreault has been given sheltered ice time and while he wasn't asked to play a shutdown role this year he played a regular middle six shift and he was damn solid. Perreault led the Jets in both Corsi and Corsi Relative this season. Couple that with the fact that he was second on the team in points per minute and it is hard to ignore Perreault's impact. His addition propelled the Jets forward.
Perreault's HERO table is fun and it tells a pretty clear tale of the player. Little Matty P is a BEAST. He does almost everything at a first line rate – this has been the case for years – but he tends to get third line ice. These numbers are the reason that analytics nerds were so excited by the signing and it was really nice to see the addition prove it's merit.
Future
Mathieu Perreault is awesome and he is signed to an incredible contract from the team perspective. He was the best free agent signing of last off-season and the team will reap the benefit of this deal for two more years. The only real knock on Perreault is durability, but that is hardly a large price to pay for a player as dominant as Mathieu Perreault.
