The Bruins have made a trade, acquiring veteran winger Pat Maroon from the Wild in exchange for a 2026 conditional sixth-round pick and AHL forward Luke Toporowski. The pick is only transferred if Maroon plays at least one playoff game for the Bruins this season.
Andrew Raycroft reacts live to Bruins' trade for Pat Maroon
Maroon, 35, is a big (6-foot-3, 234 pounds), physical, fourth-liner who is willing to drop the gloves and who won three straight Stanley Cups from 2019-21 (one with the Blues, two with the Lightning).
He still brings a little bit of offense, too, as he had 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists) in 49 games this season before missing the past month with a back injury. He is expected to be cleared for a return to play later this month.
The Bruins have been unhappy with their physical response at times this season, so Maroon certainly helps to address that.
"He's a three-time Stanley Cup champion," said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. "He's a gregarious person. I just remember last year, he came in here and he wanted to start something right away. He brought emotion into the game right away and he ended up in a fight five seconds with [Garnet] Hathaway. So, he's kind of player that brings a little glue to a locker room and on the bench."
Kevin Shattenkirk won a Stanley Cup with Maroon in Tampa in 2020, and explained what he can bring to the Bruins.
"He's great," Shattenkirk said. "He's a close friend. I think he's accepted his role as the type of player that he is. He's a presence on the ice, but he still can play. Knows how to get pucks out of the zone off the wing, which is crucial this time of year. He's great down low in the offensive zone holding on to pucks and wearing teams down. Then obviously the other factor is he’s a big body and he doesn't shy away from that aspect of the game -- chirping, fighting. That's a valuable asset this time of year."
Shattenkirk added that he thinks Maroon will be a great fit in Boston's locker room -- or any locker room, for that matter.
"He has a few familiar faces, obviously, with me, Trent Frederic -- another guy he knows from St. Louis," Shattenkirk said. "But he brings a lot of levity to the room, first and foremost. I think he just has a lovable personality. He’s not shy. He talks to guys, likes to just get out, hang out with guys on the road and get a feel for his teammates. But in the same breath, during games, he knows how to speak up in the locker room and say the right things at the right time, give guys kind of a kick in the butt if they need it. I think that's important to know, the timing of that and when to use either one."
Also of note on Maroon: He did have a feud with NESN play-by-play man Jack Edwards last season after Edwards made a disparaging remark about Maroon's weight during a Bruins-Lightning game. Edwards, at least, seems eager to put that behind them: