Top pairing? I don't know if he's ready for that kind of ice time, but he's plenty good enough to be on the 2nd or 3rd pairing. He does similar things to Krug, sure, but just based on his production so far, he is WAY better at creating offense. It could be how the game is now played, the team makeup, age difference, but there's no denying the numbers. In Krug's first year in Providence, he scored 45 points in 63 games. Things COULD change, but currently Perunovich has 18 points in 11 games (a pace of 103 points in 63 games) and he's leading the league in scoring. I wouldn't be against him sitting for like a month longer, but he absolutely should be coming up after Christmas.