April 3, 2024 | 11:30am ET
By Shawn Hutcheon, TheFourthPeriod.com
MAROON ERA ABOUT TO BEGIN IN BOSTON
Pat Maroon, forward
BOSTON, MA — In most cases, when a team acquires a player in a trade, that player suits up and plays for his new club within a day or two of the transaction. For Pat Maroon and the Boston Bruins, the wait has been longer but there is light at the end of the tunnel as Maroon, who has been rehabbing from back surgery which he incurred on February 6, practiced with his new teammates for the first time on Monday.
“It felt good,” Maroon said after the workout, “I’ve kind of been lonely skating by myself. I tried to get up to speed with those guys. I’m certainly excited to feel a part of it. I’m excited to be back. I’m close (to playing in games). I’ve been out for almost twelve weeks. Hopefully, I’ll be back soon. I think the end goal is to play a couple of games before the playoffs.
“I can’t thank enough the staff here. They’ve been doing all the right things with me to make sure I’m a hundred percent. They have a plan for me. We’re just going to keep sticking with that.”
Boston obtained Maroon from the Minnesota Wild on the NHL’s Trade Deadline Day (March 8) in exchange for Providence Bruin (AHL) forward Luke Toporowski and a 2026 sixth-round conditional draft pick. Adding the big forward (6-foot-3, 234 pounds) will add the much-needed dimension of physicality to the Bruins lineup as Maroon’s 990 penalty minutes in 778 career NHL games will attest.
Toughness is not the only thing Maroon brings.
The 35-year-old native of St. Louis possesses something that is more valuable to the Bruins and that is experience. Playoff experience. As in three consecutive Stanley Cup championships. One with the St. Louis Blues (2019) and two with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020 and 2021). Maroon knows a contender when he sees one and has been impressed with what he has seen since coming to Boston.
“There’s a reason why we’re on top of the (Atlantic Division) standings, right,” Maroon replied when asked to assess his new club. “I think the biggest thing for us is sticking with the structure and sticking with the process all sixty minutes of the game. That’s the biggest thing I’ve seen. Just sticking through the process. Playing hard, because we have all the skill in the world. We gotta be smart, and disciplined, and hopefully, we can trend this thing in the right direction.”
After putting the Bruins through their paces, head coach Jim Montgomery outlined the process of which Maroon spoke.
“He is making the steps to get closer,” Montgomery said. “I think when he first got here, we said week-to-week. We knew it was going to be a couple of weeks. Now, it really is week-to-week. And as he hits more of the steps and milestones, then it’ll become day-to-day.”
It appears Maroon is getting closer to that day-to-day status. Montgomery was asked if he could venture a guess as to what opponent Maroon might make his Bruins debut.
“Pittsburgh, probably,” Montgomery answered.
If that is the targeted opponent, it would mean Maroon could be in the lineup on April 13 at TD Garden.
Montgomery went on to say that having Maroon – whose nickname is “The Big Rig” – get into game action before the postseason begins would be ideal, however, should Maroon not be ready before the regular season ends, it would not be catastrophic.
“Guys that are veteran players, that have played a lot of playoff games, that know how to win, you would like them to have games but it’s not necessary,” explained Montgomery. “They know what it takes to win. They know their role. They relish their role. They understand how to manage games and it’s a big reason why we picked him up.”
As Maroon pointed out, the Bruins are one of the top clubs in the League. They have done it primarily by employing their defense-first systems while also relying on goaltending and scoring from their star players, but before the trade deadline, general manager Don Sweeney observed that Boston needed a player who plays a physical brand of hockey. In bringing Maroon to the Bruins, Sweeney filled a gap that needed to be filled with the team heading into the postseason.
There is no doubt his playing style will make Maroon an instant fan favorite in Boston. And there is no doubt he knows what it takes to win. Soon, he will get the opportunity to add those qualities to the Bruins roster.
“This is a team that a lot of people want to play for, and I’m just excited to get with the guys, and get in the lineup with them, and go to battle with them,” said Maroon. “We’re a good hockey team and I want to be a part of it as soon as possible.
“(We have) A good group of guys. An opportunity to win here. Guys that want to win. Good leadership group in here too. We have the foundation. Now, we just gotta go out there and put it on the ice.”
