It shouldn’t be long until Pat Maroon makes his debut with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins acquired the veteran winger at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline in a deal that saw a conditional sixth-round pick and Luke Toporowski sent to the Minnesota Wild in exchange. Unfortunately, Maroon’s health status may not have been in a place the Bruins’ medical staff liked compared to that of the Wild, and this led to Maroon being removed from on-ice activities and placed on long-term injured reserve until he was deemed healthy.
Fast-forward a few weeks and it would appear that Maroon is inching closer to a healthy designation, as head coach Jim Montgomery noted Friday following team practice.
“He’s doing better. I think it’s three days in a row on the ice and looking better and better,” Montgomery said. “It’s just a matter of getting his conditioning up now.”
For the Bruins, getting Maroon into action before the playoffs start would be a good way to determine if he’s actually up to playing at full speed in a game situation. Still, this is a decision that can’t be rushed and getting Maroon healthy is the most important priority, both for himself and for the team.
Throwing Maroon into the fire during the postseason with a new team would be suboptimal. Still, it also wouldn’t be the end of the world given Maroon’s tendency to gel with whatever team he plays for, regardless of the situation. Maroon is a journeyman who has been an impact player in multiple deep playoff runs in recent years and had four consecutive seasons of 23 or more postseason games with the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning, including three straight years of hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Pat Maroon Built for Playoff Hockey
For the Bruins, Maroon would be expected to play his brand of hockey and do things the right way; something that Montgomery seems very confident he’d be able to do.
“Another player that knows how to play the right way, knows how to win, knows the physical element and understands how to create offense down low.” Montgomery would say in response to how the Bruins would use him upon his return.
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In 49 games with the Minnesota Wild this season, Maroon has scored four goals and 16 points. The 35-year-old isn’t going to be a point producer for the Bruins, but his play is tailor-made for postseason hockey and should lead to more positive chances for the Bruins over the course of a series than chances against.
Maroon hasn’t been a popular name in Boston, but that shouldn’t stop him from giving it his all with his new team as he attempts to win another Stanley Cup to add to his resume. He also has a very good chance of winning over Bruins’ fans if he can play up to expectation, not unlike the team saw with Garnet Hathaway and Tyler Bertuzzi just last season. Though the Bruins’ faithful may not have been big fans of these two players before their time in Boston, they endeared themselves to the fanbase during their stint in Black and Gold. Maroon could be the next player to do so.
With just seven regular season games remaining for the Bruins, the clock is ticking on getting Maroon into some late-season game action before the playoffs begin. With that in mind, they’re likely in no rush to make rash decisions and will play the cards they’re dealt.