Could big winger Pat Maroon make his Boston Bruins debut next week?
The Bruins acquired Maroon from the Minnesota Wild moments before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8, in exchange for forward Luke Toporowski and a 2026 sixth-round conditional draft pick. Unfortunately for the Bruins and their supporters, Maroon, 35, has yet to play for the team. The 6-foot-3, 234-pound winger had been on injured reserve since undergoing back surgery in early February and had only recently began skating before being traded. When Maroon came in Boston, the idea was that he would be ready to play on or around April 8, and it appears like ‘The Big Rig’ is still on track, possibly even ahead of schedule.
“He’s doing better,” Montgomery said of Maroon after practice on Friday in Washington D.C., before of his team’s huge game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
“I believe it’s three days in a row on the ice, and it’s looking better and better. It’s simply a matter of getting his conditioning up now.”
🎥 Coach Montgomery on the #NHLBruins clinching a playoff spot: "For us it's more about battling for positioning right now and getting into the playoffs playing the right way." pic.twitter.com/yuv5SEqcQ6
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 29, 2024
Pat Maroon has four goals and sixteen points through 49 games this season. In 778 regular-season games, Maroon has 121 goals and 304 points. The St. Louis native has also scored 23 goals and assisted 28 times in 150 games. However, the Bruins acquired Maroon not for his offensive abilities, but for his size, tenacity, and championship heritage. Maroon has won three Stanley Cups, first with the St. Louis Blues against the Boston Bruins in 2019, and then twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
“Another player that knows how to play the right way,” Montgomery said when asked what Maroon will contribute to the Boston Bruins lineup. “Knows how to win, knows the physical element, understands momentum, and understands how to create offense down low.”
